Periculum
by Aglaranna
Summary: In the wake of Angelus's death, Buffy Summers is thrown into a galaxy far, far away. Trapped into slavery, she meets a young boy named Anakin Skywalker. From there her destiny is revealed as she and Anakin set out to change the face of the Galaxy.
1. Prologue: The End of Duty

Title: Periculum

Shows: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Star Wars

Pairing: Buffy/Obi-wan

Status: In Progress

Rating: PG-13

Summary: After killing her lover the Vampire Angelus, Buffy Summers is cast across space and time to land on a small desert planet known as Tatooine. Much of her strength as a Slayer stripped out of her by the journey, she is forced to make her own way to the town of Mos Espa and meets a young boy named Anakin Skywalker. From there, her path to becoming a Jedi unfolds.

Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Star Wars Universe and do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The dialogue of the prologue is that of Buffy killing Angelus at the End of Season 2 and so belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy, some of the dialogue in this story is that of the Phantom Menace and thus belongs to George Lucas and his writing staff, I hope everyone understands.

Now, let Buffy's journey to knighthood begin!

Prologue: The End of Duty

The battle raged. Hell was moments away from loosing itself upon the face of the world. Taking Buffy and her former lover Angel and everyone they knew or didn't know down into the blazing depths of rage, torment, and fire. Brimstone was in the air.

Buffy could smell it. It burned in her nostrils as the steel of her sword clanged against that of Angelus. He cut, she parried, he swung, she jumped, he slashed, she blocked. Their dance of death continued on.

Sweat and tears, blood and guts, grunting, growling, snarling. Angelus's sword bit into her arm and Buffy stumbled backwards, crimson slipping down through her shirt.

"First blood." Angel grinned.

Buffy could only stare in shock. Then, her molars ground together. She couldn't let him win. The fate of the world, everyone, rested on her shoulders. _Why does it always have to be me?_ No, Buffy shook her head. She didn't have time to ask herself those questions.

He stabbed again, kicking her legs out from under her as she dodged sideways, knocking her back across the table. She groaned as her back hit the hard black metal, shattering the pottery that lay beneath her. The shards dug into her back, pushing into her skin. Her eyes widened as she watched Angel swing his sword up. He was about to bring it down on her head.

Kicking her legs sideways she rolled off the table in time to avoid his blow. With a cocky grin, she straightened, leaping over the table to hit him with a side-kick blow to the chest. Angel went backwards and the battle continued on.

The next moment sent Buffy crashing through the window. But that was the way of battle, in one moment everything could change. She often wished that there was a way for her to see and predict things, to know what was coming next. Sometimes, she felt it at the very edge of her vision, but could never respond to it in time. The best she could do was watch her opponents body and see his movements. But that wasn't helping her.

She hit the cold concrete ground. _Focus, Summers!_ This was the battle of her life. The fate of the world was at stake. No, worse. _If Angel wins there won't be a world for anyone to wake up to._ She had to win.

Buffy fought to sit up. Angel was approaching. His footsteps slow and methodical, like he had all the time in the world. _And he does._ Buffy thought through gritted teeth. She was the one who was running out of time. On her feet again, Buffy struck. Their blades clanged as steel met steel and Angel repelled her, a casual smirk on his brooding features. In a butterfly sweep, he redirected her blade down, to catch on the concrete side of the flowerbed. Buffy watched helplessly as he broke it in one smooth stomp. His spinning backhand catching her across the cheek and she twirled, mind tumbling, and hit a piece of decorative art as she went down.

It hurt.

Carrying Drusilla and heading towards the door, William the Bloody looked back on the battle. His face regretful as he watched the Slayer stumble to her feet. Watched Angelus advancing on her, his stance predatory, his shoulders tensed and ready to end his hunt. The Slayer stumbled back into the wall, her legs giving out, as her body slunk downwards.

"God, he's gonna kill her." Spike said. A moment of indecision caught him as he stared at the battle. Then, common vampire apathy took hold. He shrugged. "Oh, well." Turning without a care, he walked out the door.

Angel moved in on Buffy. Sword raised in his hand, ready to deal the killing stroke. She could feel her side bruising, swelling. But it wouldn't keep her down for long, it couldn't. _Fate of the world, Summers. It's the fate of the world._

"That's everything, huh?" Angelus asked. The point of his sword hovering inches from the Slayer. "No weapons, no friends, no hope." His voice was soft as silk and just as deadly. Buffy closed her eyes and swallowed. The fate of the world. "Take all that away and what's left?"

He struck, viper quick, the blade whizzing towards her face, ready to split her skull in two. Three years of training and all the Slayers instincts had never prepared her for this, but something else was. Something deep inside her knew, knew beyond question. Even with her eyes closed she could see the sword. Her hands came up and snapped together, the blade caught between them, inches from her face. She opened her vibrant green eyes and stared up into Angel's face. He was breathing heavily. She could sense that the battle was almost over.

"Me."

With a swift push of her arms, she shoved the blade back up into Angel's face. The hilt struck him square on the nose and sent him recoiling backwards. Buffy was up again. Hitting him in the chest with a jump front kick, she continued to press her advantage. She picked up the sword he'd broken and spun it dizzily in front of her face.

The fight began in earnest. The Slayer finding her second wind. The demon losing ground. She pushed him back with a flurry of strikes and slashes. Parry, thrust, parry. She struck towards his head, towards his side, towards his chest, Angel barely blocking her, unable able to stop her momentum.

Buffy kicked him back through the door. A jumping spin and strike was deflected but forced him to cover his right side while she feinted to the left. Her blurring movements keeping her former lover off balance as the battle continued. She continued to force him further and further back. Her blade catching his right hand mad him cry out and drop his blade. It clattered onto the floor as he went to his knees. Another jump kick to his face sent him sprawling backwards. She lifted her blade, preparing for the final stroke, ready to sever his head from his shoulders.

But something stopped her.

In her momentary pause, he screamed.

Eyes glowing only for a moment. A new expression touched that hateful face, it was one she'd known before, one she'd loved.

Gasping, Angel fell towards the floor, his forearms hitting the concrete. He seemed to be sobbing.

Slowly, Buffy lowered the blade. Knowing that something was different.

Angel looked up at her in shock. "Buffy?" He whispered. Blinking, he shook his head, startled by his strange surroundings, by the blade in her hand. "What's goin' on?"

Buffy was held by nervous shock and unbelieving denial, suspicion clawed at her, telling her that it was all a trick. But something stayed her hand. She watched, frozen as Angel climbed to his feet.

"Where are we?" Angel asked. He was staring at her intently, his dark eyes soulful and a bit frightened. "I don't remember."

The blade slowly slid lower as Buffy continued to evaluate Angel. _Angel?_ Her mind was racing, how had he come back? How? Did Willow try her spell again? How had she managed it? The tip of the blade touched the concrete floor, but Buffy couldn't take her eyes of him. How long had she dreamed of this moment? Wanted it? All the heartbreak, all the murders, it all had lead up to now. He was back.

"Angel?"

He swallowed and glanced at her side. Smelling the blood, he reached out to touch her arm. "You're hurt." He said. His fingers connected with her skin, drawing her closer and as if in a dream Buffy let him pull her in. This couldn't be happening. She stepped up to him and suddenly let everything go. Pressing against him, she exhaled deeply. Shutting her eyes as she breathed in his scent and felt the coolness of his flesh. His arms closing around her and hugging her tightly, letting her know that he would never, ever let her go again. "Oh, Buffy." He whispered. "God, I feel like I haven't seen you in months." She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her cheek against his neck. "Everything's so muddled, I… Oh…" He kissed her shoulder. "Buffy…"

Tears streaked Buffy's cheeks as she opened her eyes. A sound vibrated through her ears. She looked up and saw, to her horror, the mouth of the statue opening. Their time was up. Everything was going to end. It was going to drag the whole world down to hell. She had to stop it and there was only one way.

Buffy stepped back, away from Angel.

Looking into her eyes, Angel sensed trouble. "What's happening?"

"Shhh." Buffy whispered, pressing her finger against his lips. "Don't worry about it." Heart breaking in her chest, she let her fingers trail down his chin, knowing that she was seeing him for the last time. Her hand brushed up his face and she pressed her mouth against his in one final kiss. Then, tears burning at the edges of her eyes, she said. "I love you."

"I love you." Angel responded.

"Close your eyes." Buffy said.

Her voice shook, her hand refusing to leave her lovers cheek. She knew what she had to do, but seeing him standing there, so innocent, god! It was killing her. But she had to do it. _The fate of the world. It's all on you, Buffy. You're the Chosen One._ Yeah? Well, she didn't want to be the Chosen One anymore. Not with Kendra dead, Jenny dead, her first Watcher murdered, Willow in the hospital, her mom wanting her to leave and never come back, and now Angel too. No. She couldn't do it anymore. She was tired of being special.

Buffy pressed her lips to Angel's, relishing in one final kiss. Then, with his eyes still shut, she pulled away. Without a moment's hesitation, she stabbed Angel through his heart and as his eyes widened in agony, she stepped away. The world grew white, glowing all around her. She watched as he reached towards her, the betrayal plain on his face. The shocked expression burned into her mind, forever. His hand out stretched he stared at her, the knowledge of goodbye plain in his features. She fought back the urge to scream. She was too strong for that.

But oh, how she wanted everything to end. The end of duty, the end of being a Slayer, the end of everything! She didn't want it anymore! Not if this was how it had to be!

Buffy Summers watched as her lover, the Vampire Angel was sucked down into the vortex. His body and soul headed straight for Hell. There was nothing she could do to stop it. She had sent him there. She was a monster. He vanished.

Then a gust exploded outwards, knocking her back and everything went white.

A/N: The prologue of Periculum is done. In the next chapter, Buffy is lost in a galaxy far, far away.

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	2. Chapter 1: Lost Far, Far Away

Chapter One: Lost in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Buffy Summers woke in blazing heat. Her fingers closed on sand, it burned against the flesh of her fingers and she sat up. Buffy's green eyes stared out at the vast wasteland before her. Desert, a stark and bleak yellow stretched out into the distance. Large dunes of shifting sand moved back and forth as the land swept out towards the horizon. _Where?_ She wondered, mind frozen. "Where am I?" The words escaped her already dry lips and echoed out into the empty waste.

No one heard them.

_Looks like the Sahara._ Buffy thought. Wiping her jeans, she got to her knees and looked around again. Nothing had changed. The heat was still beating down on her from overhead, making her dehydrated brain sluggish. Still, she fought to keep her mind clear. _Civilization._ She would have to find one. _And water._ That was the first priority. _Staying alive._ So she could get back.

Get back to what? Buffy's knees hit the sand. Not to her mother. Joyce Summers' words lingered in her mind, hammered there with an anvil.

_"You walk out of this house, don't even think about coming back!"_

_That's right._ Buffy thought. She could feel the tears burning at the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall. _Can't go home._ So where did she have left to go? _Angel's dead._ God, she didn't even want to think about that. Not now. Not when she was stuck in the middle of god knows where. _Maybe he took me down to hell with him._ A hoarse laugh escaped Buffy's throat. Maybe she deserved that.

Her fingers sank into the sand and she let out a crazed terrible yell. Filled with her agony, her confusion, her despair. She pounded her fists into the ground. _Why god!_ Her mind screamed. _Why me? Why did you have to make me suffer like this? Why was I chosen?_ Why was her life always the one turned into hell? She couldn't go home.

Buffy's head tipped back and she stared up at the sky. That's when she saw it. The blazing, blurring rays that beat down into her eyes, couldn't hide the faces of the twin suns hovering overhead.

_Two?_ Buffy wondered. What the hell was going on? _Where did that light send me?_ She didn't want to think about it. The memory made chills race across her body, made gooseflesh break out across her arms. She'd been touched by something. She didn't know what. It had come from her. Dragged her out of existence. Left her here. _All I wanted was to be anywhere but in SunnyHell._ Buffy thought with a sneeze. _Guess I got my wish._

There was nowhere on Earth where a person could see two suns. _Not even in the Sahara._ So… where was she?

Buffy stood, wiping off her pants. _Either way, sitting out here won't do me much good._ No, she needed to find some place with people. _Maybe then I'll get answers._ That was what Buffy was good at, getting answers. _Maybe I can find some way to contact Giles._ Some kind of witch or wiccan, like the kind Willow wanted to be, someone who could speak through dimensions. _Get home._

_Home…_ The image of her mother's face assaulted her mind again. _No._ Buffy thought. _Not home. Somewhere else. Anywhere else._ But that meant she was going to have to pick a direction and start walking. Buffy got to her feet again, the heat of the sand burning against the soles of her sneakers. She wondered how long the rubber would last against it. She didn't relish the thought of trekking across this desert barefoot.

A strange cry echoed out of the wasteland. Eeee-eh-eh-eh. It went. Then another responded to it. Eeeeeeee-eh-eh-eh. It sounded like an animal.

_Or some kind of war cry._ No matter what she was going to face out here, Buffy Summers knew it wasn't safe to stick around.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and drew a deep heady breath. She lifted her finger and pointed at the horizon. "Eeeny," she turned to the left. "Meeny," she pointed to the right. "Miny," she pointed back to the left. "Moe." She turned back to the right. "Catch a tiger by his toe." Her finger continued to sway back and forth between the two directions as Buffy let chance seal her fate. "My mother," she swallowed. Joyce's face appeared in her mind, her tumbling golden locks framing blue eyes filled with hurt and betrayal. "Told me to pick the very best one." Her finger swung between the two like the needle of a drunken compass. "And you are it, so I choose you." She opened her eyes and found her finger stuck towards the west. "That way it is then." Buffy said with a sharp exhale and began walking towards the cresting dunes that looked exactly the same as that of the opposite direction. The bleakness was overwhelming.

Fortunately for sixteen-year old Buffy Summers, a force greater than luck had plans in mind. Destiny's hand was already upon her, guiding her steps, and though she did not yet know it, with such an ally at her back, she was sure to find her way. Even though it would soon prove to be an unpleasant journey.

Buffy walked. Her stride decreasing marginally step by step as her feet sunk into the moving sand. She kept a careful eye on the ground, while focusing her other on the horizon. Buffy tried to keep any land masses she saw in the corner of her vision, trying to make certain that she was headed the right way. But this was a desert and there were no guarantees. Still, that didn't entirely matter Buffy Summers had spent her entire life in deserts, first in the glorified land of scrub and sand called Los Angeles, then in a place called SunnyDale, a city not too far beyond the reach of the dreaded Mojave. She'd spent all her days beneath a dreaded desert sun and learned to dress accordingly.

_But all that prep, doesn't help against two suns._ They were double trouble and as the hours dragged on, Buffy felt her vaunted Slayer stamina waning. It was a contest between the heat of the rays and the pull of the sand to see which would sap her strength the quickest. In it, Buffy was forced to admit, unhappily, that either way she was losing. _Should've waited 'till dark._ Traveling would have been easier, but she knew that with the unfamiliar terrain it would be almost impossible to find her way. _And who knows what pretty critters pop out at night._

Buffy had long since stopped wasting energy trying to speak. She continued taking deep, meditative breaths, like the kind Giles had forced her to practice. _Giles._ Was he worrying about her? She shook her head. Buffy knew she could worry about that later. _People, that's what I need. People!_ That's all she should keep her thoughts focused on. _Finding people._ Before the damn monsters did.

Another cry went up out of the wilderness. It was different from the call she'd heard earlier. This one was more like a shriek or a roar. In the haze of the distance, she thought she saw something trotting across the sand, a group of things really. A herd.

Whatever they were, they were moving quickly, blurrily in the heat. They're long forelegs reaching out to grip the sand between their claws. Their bodies swaying back and forth as they moved, they looked like they were shifting direction.

Buffy came to a stop at the top the dune and wiped her sweaty brow, green eyes transfixed on the large strange animals. She counted seven, maybe eight in the group. _They move like lizards._ But Buffy had never seen a lizard that tall or big. _It can't really be that big._ Could it? From this distance it seemed like the size of a horse. _Maybe bigger._ Her heart froze in her chest as she watched them turn, their pace speeding up into something more like a canter. They were coming towards her.

Behind them, she saw a dust cloud and in the air she heard a roaring buzz. What was happening?

The beasts were plowing towards her. Buffy knew she should get out of the way, but she couldn't find the strength. Her tired sluggish mind, screamed at her muscles, her eyes widening in terror as the beasts stampeded towards her. Their metallic copper scales glittering in the sun. She could see the wide slope of their skulls, the high curve of their crests. It was like looking at something out of her grandma's old National Geographic tapes.

_A triceratops?_ Couldn't be. It had no horns.

They were coming at her, stretching out into formation. She heard something that sounded strangely like gunfire. No, more like the electronic backfire of Willow's computer overloading. Willow… Was she okay? Red beams lined the sky, arcing over the heads of the monsters. Some of them screamed in pain as they connected.

They were being driven right towards her. As the monsters climbed up towards her, Buffy fought for her thoughts. She had to move, she had to get out of the way. She had to… A glint caught her eye. Silver, shiny metal, a roaring buzz struck her ears and she looked down again. What was chasing the monsters suddenly became clear in her vision. It looked like a gigantic slab of metal and it was floating.

_What?_ When had she, Buffy Summers been transferred into the Twilight Zone? Her word didn't include ships or space men from Mars. Maybe she was on Mars? _No, nothing's red._ She could practically here Willow's most exasperated tone lecturing at the back of her mind. _Come on, Buffy, you know there's no oxygen on Mars._ Buffy sighed. _Thanks, Will._ So much for Earth being close by.

The monsters, animals, things, whatever they were, they were almost on her now. It was too late to get out of the way. She could hear their screaming cries and the loud, "Yahoo!" cry of the hunters coming up behind them. At least they sounded human. Buffy took a deep breath and shut her eyes, pulling at whatever strength she had left, she ducked sideways away from the first oncoming copper lizard, knowing that if she hit the ground it would be all over. She let her instincts guide her as the sand shook, dodging the rampaging feet.

_I have to get their attention._ She realized. Somehow, someway, maybe their transportation could take her to some kind of settlement. Buffy Summers didn't have time to be awestruck or impressed. _Or afraid this is gonna turn into Planet of the Apes._ Whoever these people were, she needed them.

"Hey!" She shouted, trying valiantly to get her voice up over the sound of thundering feet. "Hey!" Waving her arms, she jumped up and down as she let another creature rumble past her. She kept one eye on the oncoming beasts and the other on the metal sled with jet engines. "HEY!"

The last of the creatures went by and she listened to the sled scream over her. She watched it head off into the distance, following the herd of monsters, the red bullets of their guns blazing in the heat, standing out against the bleak backdrop of blue and dusty yellow. A lump formed in Buffy's throat, maybe they hadn't heard her, maybe they hadn't seen her. What if they didn't care?

_What am I gonna do?_ Despair welled up in the corners of her eyes and she shook her head as she watched both herd and ship pull farther away into the distance. _What am I gonna do?_ Where would she find shelter?

Buffy looked up at the sky again. The two suns were already well past what she assumed was midday and they were sinking into the horizon. She bet she only had about six or seven hours left of daylight to find some kind of shelter and any kind of civilization. _Plus, I got no idea how close I am or how far I have to go._ And she was already tired. Wiping her grimy forehead, Buffy had no idea if her body could survive another day like this without water. _And I got no idea where to start looking._ All her Slayer skills, invaluable. She had nothing to fight. She was just a lost little girl.

Her feelings over took her and she collapsed into the sand, her hands angrily coming up to her cheeks as the withheld tears poured out through her eyes. Buffy couldn't stop the flow. Maybe she deserved to die. _After what I did to Angel, I definitely deserve it. Definitely._ Sobs escaped through her mouth and Buffy knew she needed to get a hold of herself, but another part of her didn't care. She was going to die and nobody was going to help her. "God!" She whispered. "Why?" The words were choked back in her throat. "Why is this happening to me? Is it because of Angel? Am I being punished for that? Why?"

"Ho, there." A cheerful voice called from above her.

Startled, Buffy looked up. Suddenly, hearing the thrumming sound of an engine, she swallowed. Her eyes met grizzled gray ones, her young face staring into one about three times her age. It was a man. He had a circular face with thick lines tracing around his eyes and a weak chin cutting into a bulldog neck and thick shoulders. He was wearing some kind of shirt and a knit together weave that looked like a brown poncho thrown over it. He was leaning over the edge of the sled, a strange twinkle in his eye and an amused grin splitting his face.

"Hello." Buffy said in a small voice. Scrubbing, her cheeks as she stared at him, unable to believe her luck and swallowed.

"What are ya doin' wastin' moisture out here?" He asked. "You lookin' to die, kid?"

"Come on, Ganner." A perturbed voice growled from behind the stranger. "The Wraids are gettin' away and I ain't goin' back to Mos Espa without a couple skulls."

"We still got plenty hours of daylight, Bree." The man called Ganner responded. He glanced back over his shoulder, a pacifying expression on his face. "And the Wraid ain't gonna get too far away."

"It'll still be a waste of fuel to catch 'em." The invisible Bree grumbled. "An I need at least four good plates to make my debt." Bree paused. "Or…" His tone turned wheedling. "Why don't ya bring her aboard Ganner, it's the least we can do." He added, but he still didn't sound at all friendly. "Get her out of this forsaken heat and back to Mos Espa."

"That's exactly what we're gonna do." Ganner replied. "But I'm gonna say it again Bree, charity is an act o' goodness o' nature. We ain't doin' this for greed."

"Whatever, Ganner." Bree snorted. "Tell me, she's at least pretty."

"Pretty enough for a grime covered urchin." Ganner said. "Keep the power sled still while I bring her aboard. Kid looks like she's barely got the strength to move."

"Pretty enough to dance for Gardulla?" Bree asked.

"I said already that we ain't doin' that." Ganner snapped. But he leapt down off the floating sled and landed on the soft sand. Buffy didn't know whether to be grateful or to scramble back in terror. Ganner had a face she trusted, but this Bree? She didn't like the sound of him. "Don't mind, Bree." Ganner said to her. He was a solid man, with a burly chest and arms like logs. His face was almost hulking despite the weakness of his chin and he loomed over her. "He's in a jam for creds at the moment, he ain't thinkin' clearly."

Still, Buffy wasn't afraid. If these two messed with her, they'd learn, she knew, they'd learn that she was no normal girl. She lifted her chin defiantly and scrubbed off her cheeks. "He is?" She asked, trying to sound prim, confident, in control. _What in the blazes are creds?_ She wondered. Was that some kind of currency? Why hadn't she ever heard about it before? Her gaze went back to the twin suns drifting down towards the eastern horizon. "That's right, Toto." She mumbled. "We're not in Kansas anymore."

"What was that?" Ganner asked.

"Nothing." Buffy shook her head. She stared at the ruffian, his dusty clothes, evaluating him right down to his dirty boots. Buffy didn't know if she could trust him. Or even if she should. A tingle in her gut told her to be wary, it was a bad feeling, and it gave her a stomachache. _But what choice do I have?_ Slowly, she lifted up her hand and held it out for Ganner to take. "I'm Buffy." She cleared her throat. "Buffy Summers. Who are you?"

"Ganner." He said, taking her hand in a firm handshake. "Why little lady, you've got quite the girp." This was followed by a low chuckle, one that shook the very depths of his belly and made it ripple.

_Like Santa Claus._ Buffy thought faintly.

"Joel Ganner." The man continued. "That's my name. I'm a hunter out of Mos Espa." He jerked a thumb back towards the sled. "And the sour womp rat back there is Tott Bree."

"Who's obviously not a Leonardo DiCaprio." Buffy said, thinking of the actor's character in Catch Me If You Can, the down on his luck con artist. Irritated that her brain couldn't come up with a better example, she listened as Joel Ganner let out another bellowing laugh.

"He certainly ain't." The big man agreed. "Now, it'd be my pleasure to bring you aboard our sled, _The Lucky Hand_." Above, Buffy heard the sound of Tott Bree snorting.

"So, it wasn't the luckiest name?" She asked.

"Certainly wasn't that fortuitous." Ganner nodded. "But we get by. Now, you comin' aboard? Or you gonna rot out here in the sun all day?"

"How do I know I can trust you?" Buffy asked. The buzz in her stomach was growing more insistent. She had a bad feeling about this. Still, she shook her head. _For a pair of scoundrels they seem trust worthy enough._

"Ya don't really." Ganner shrugged. "But Mos Espa's over a hundred and thirty clicks in that direction." He pointed over Buffy's shoulder. "And while ya were headed in the right direction, there's no chance you'd get there for another few days. Besides," he shook his head. "There been rumors of Tusken Raiders patrollin' the dunes 'tween here and there. What ever ya think, miss, your best chance is with us."

Buffy nodded, it made sense. _And whatever a Tusken Raider is…_ It sure didn't sound friendly. Besides, Buffy was a Slayer. Even in her exhausted state, she could probably handle both men. _And whatever guns they've got in there._ That was a little hubris on her part. _But, I'm not afraid to die._ If it came to that, she'd go down fighting. Just like all Slayers. _After all._ What did she have to go back to?

"Okay." She said.

Slowly, she accepted Ganner's help, but shrugged off his assistance as he tried to lift her into the ship, power sled, or whatever it was called. Helpful or not, she still didn't want him putting his big greasy hands on her. _Maybe at this Mos Espa I can find a telepohone._ She thought wearily, stumbling onto the floating platform. She looked up and her eyes met a pair of blue ones. But that wasn't the strange thing, it was Bree Tott's face, he had tentacles growing out of his head and they were blue. Now, Buffy had seen a lot of strange things in her life, all kinds of vampires, demons, and monsters. She knew trouble when she saw it.

A scream built in her throat as she settled into fighting stance. But a strong hand clapping down on her shoulder distracted her and she looked up into the wide face of Joel Ganner. "What's the kid?" He asked. He sounded strange. "One'd think you'd never seen a Twi'lek before?"

"No." She said. Her voice came out strangled as she looked up into his eyes. He didn't seem to find anything out of the ordinary. _What is a Twi'lek?_ She wondered, it sounded like nerd speak or Xander lingo and she was in short supply of both. _Is it some kind of demon?_ Or worse, she swallowed. _An alien?_ "I have." But it sounded like a lie, even in her own ears. "I have."

"Right." Ganner grinned. But his expression was quickly growing hooded, closed. The craft lurched beneath her feet, they were moving again. She looked at him and then back at Bree Tott, the Twi'lek, tiredly fighting to keep any kind of shock from reaching her expression. She needed to keep herself in control. "You must be twelve kinds of sheltered, kid."

"A pity." Bree Tott said.

Buffy's gaze swung up at him and noticed, for the first time, the black object in his hand. It looked like a gun, but no shape she'd ever seen before. Its barrel was slim, widening at the end and the side was covered with three different switches. But that wasn't the pressing issue. The gun was pointed at her and Bree Tott's finger was on the trigger. She began to thrash underneath Ganner's hand.

"Woah!" The big man laughed. "We got ourselves a live one, Bree!"

So, Buffy realized, the pit of her stomach growing cold, they'd intended this all along. She should have known better. Buffy felt Ganner's grip tightening on her shoulder, his second hand coming up to grasp Buffy by her arm, firmly holding her where she was. _Why can't I throw him?_ She could feel her Slayer strength, it was there, lashing out at this man. He was having difficulty hanging onto her. But… _It's not enough!_ It felt like her strength had been halved. She wasn't a normal girl, not quite, but still… _It feels like it!_ Where had her power gone?

"Hold still, shutta!" Ganner hissed in her ear. "This ain't gonna hurt!"

"Not much!" Bree laughed.

"You got a clear shot, Bree?" Ganner asked. Perspiration was breaking out across his brow and his features settled into a hooded frown. "You set to stun?"

"Yeah, Ganner."

"Then take it damn you!"

Buffy opened her mouth to yell as the Twi'lek leveled his gun at her. She watched in terror as he pulled the trigger. A crackling blast of blue light shot out of the weapon and sped towards her. Buffy felt it impact her midsection. And suddenly, she felt… Numb. It was spreading across her, burning up her veins, shutting down her muscles. Buffy felt herself go limp in Ganner's grip. Slumping towards the floor as he let her go, she was swallowed by darkness.

That was all there was for her. Darkness.

Darkness and revenge.

A/N: Buffy's journey begins. In the next chapter: Slavery.

Rember feedback = love. Give me comments!


	3. Chapter 2: Slavery

**Chapter Two: Slavery**

"That enough for you, eh? Cause that's all Watto's gonna take for a scrawny human like that."

For the second time that day, Buffy Summers woke in a sluggish haze. This time though, the only thing on her mind was rage. _How dare that jerk, who should probably have been named in much sharper and dirty language, shoot her!_ But that was quickly overtaken by the realization that she was lying on a hot but hard floor. This time, there was only a little sand. _Oh thank god!_ She didn't know if she would ever be able to get the dust out of her shirt or the grains out of her sneakers.

She hurt all over and it wasn't just the aggravation of her bruises or the burning sensation of the cut in her arm. She was sure it was infected. No, her body felt like it was waking up from stasis. Her muscles were jittery and she could barely force them to put her into a sitting position. Moving made her already foggy brain pound like crazy, the beats thundering against her skull, throbbing so loudly that she could barely hear what was going on in the other room.

Other room. Hearing. People were talking in the other room! _Stop being so slow, Buffy!_ Her mind growled. Sluggishness would only get her killed. _If I'm not dead already._ And… would that really be too bad?

Shaking her head, and once again wincing from the pain, Buffy focused her ears on what was happening in the next room. She could focus on her current surroundings later.

There were two voices coming from the other room and they sounded like they were arguing.

"Come on, one hundred fifty? You gotta be kiddin'. Them moisture generators go for three hundred and they ain't near as useful!"

It was Ganner's voice. In her dark corner, Buffy's hands clenched into fists. She was going to give him the soundest beating he'd ever experienced. _Shoot a Slayer!_ Ha! The man had never met trouble like Slayer trouble! _Even if this one's kinda exhausted and only working at half strength._ She could still lay out a can of whoop ass on the jerk!

"You don't like my price?" The new voice… Watto, she thought it was called. "You den aya roopas can shop your schutta to the other dealers." She heard him chuckle. "You think the Hutts'll be more generous than your old pal Watto? Pay more for some scrawny piece a meat dragged outta the desert? Pa choota!" That sounded like a derisive snort. "You livin' in dreams."

_Are they bargaining?_ Buffy wondered. In which case, what for? Certainly not her! _I'm not being sold as some kind of slave right?_ Her heart thudded in her chest, her knuckles digging into her grimy hands. "No way!" The words escaped her crusty lips.

"These're hard times, Watto." Ganner said. "You gotta give me somethin' I can use. Two hundred's more than good enough for human girl that size, a strong one, healthy too. Prime age for the heaviest of labors. You know you need some good lifters to move the merchandise, this girl's it. Two hundred, that's my final offer."

"You make a… how do you say? Fair point. But she's green and in need of a slave's education. That'll cost you. Denaya tama ruya. I'll give you one hundred seventy five for the girl."

They'd settled down into some kind of bargaining, Watto's tone suggesting he was ready to deal. Ganner sensing an advantage, let a lazy smile make its way into his voice, certain that he could make Watto go higher.

"Come on, Watto." He wheedled. "Where're you gonna find a girl that pretty in this dump, eh? She'll be a gem that'll draw you even more business. Business you need. One ninety for the girl is a bargain, a steal! Think of how much you had to pay those choota dara jawas for that Skywalker woman. No where near as low as this!"

"Eh? Doora denaya! You make a good point, Ganner. I'll give you hundred and eighty five for the schutta. But no penny more. No human's managed to rob a Toydarian blind, yet. And you won't pull wool over Watto's eyes. Hundred eighty five, that's my final price."

"Done!" Ganner said. "Here's your proof of purchase. I want my pay at daybreak, Watto and not an hour later!"

"Eh? You stingy. Pa choota! But you'll have your money, Ganner. One o' my slaves'll be at your door then."

"Better be." Ganner responded, he sounded doubtful. "Send over little Ani, yeah? I'll show him the new upgrades I made to my lucky lady."

"My slaves." Watto responded. "My business." His tone clearly indicated that with the negotiations closed, he expected Joel Ganner to clear the premises.

Buffy bit her lip in the darkness, listening to the receding footsteps. Surprised that she'd heard nothing from this Watto. Well, maybe he was standing still. Buffy blinked and exhaled loudly, realizing suddenly that she'd been holding her breath. _I'm gonna get out of this._ She was. Somehow. She moved up into a sitting position, crossing her aching legs beneath her and drawing another deep breath. As her skin spread out as her esophagus expanded, her tissue came into contact with something strange.

She felt it, a brush of cool. Slowly, disbelieving, Buffy lifted her fingers and pressed them against her neck. A hard piece of metal was circled around her throat, too loose to be a choker. Her heart froze in her chest and her petite pale mouth spread wide into a small o. It was a collar.

Feeling around it, she identified wires and a button. But unsure of what it would do, she left them alone. She needed time to think, to plan a way to escape. Maybe she could talk this Watto into letting her go. That she could figure out some way to pay him back, preferably not with her body. _I'm nobody's property._ A Slayer belonged to no one. She was destined, chosen, and she had a job to do. _And I'm going to do it._

Well, at the very least she was going to pound this Watto's face into the ground until he changed his mind. That was also what Slayers did. They used violence to solve negotiations. It was all a part of their being. Buffy swallowed again, forcing her eyes to adjust to this place of captivity. It was dark and she couldn't see much except piles of strangely shaped pieces. Parts probably. _What does this Watto do?_ She wondered. From the smell of grease, oil, and dust, it was clear that he wasn't doing prostitution. _Maybe he does that on the side…_ Buffy shivered. She wasn't letting any man touch her body. Not again, not ever. Not after Angel.

_Angel!_ Her mind wailed. The betrayal in his eyes burned at her. She could see him standing in front of her, fearful, confused. _And I did it. Just like the monster I am!_ Buffy squeezed her eyes shut, moisture she didn't have creeping up to press against her lashes. She didn't have the energy left to cry. A dry sob shook her shoulders. She was never going to see him again!

The buzzing in her stomach was back, new feelings overwhelming the despair. Someone was coming, maybe someone important. The event on the sled had taught Buffy that she should trust her instincts.

The curved door swung open and the harsh light struck Buffy squarely in the eyes. She winced, realizing that her retinas had gotten too used to the darkness. Silently cursing, she fought the urge to blink and looked up at the small waspish creature hovering in front of her. Wearily, she started to laugh.

"What's so funny uhh?" Watto, the Toydarian asked.

He was staring down at his new purchase with bulbous evaluating eyes. He was a small creature, his entire body only a bit longer than the size of Buffy's head and torso. Watto had a large head, twice as large as Buffy's, with a long elephant-like snout and two tusks that protruded out from the soft tissue of his jaw. They were the largest teeth that Buffy could see in his mouth. He had a large stomach that rounded out his lower body, making his spinal column curved and hunched. His boney arms hung loosely at his side, his hands complete with large sausage sized fingers with sharp blue-clawed tips. He had four on each. Two wings protruded from his back and were flapping vigorously to keep him aloft, their movement blurring so fast that Buffy's light deprived eyes could barely follow them.

His intent stare told her that he needed an answer.

"This," she laughed, exhausted to the point of hysteria. "Ganner, you, the two suns! It's all some dream isn't it? A wonderland. All I've gotta do is punch myself and wake up, right?" It would hurt, but Buffy didn't care if a hit solved all the crazy. _I just want to go home._ To Earth at least.

"Uhh," Watto sighed. "I see the suns've addled my new slave's brains, eh? Well, I suppose it doesn't matter, ehh. Heh-heh, whatever your condition, you were worth the price. A hundred and eighty for a slave? Tott Bree must have some big debts, ehhh. Gambling, ehhh."

"Don't you get it?" Buffy laughed. "This isn't real! Any second now, I'm gonna wake up and when I do, your crazy messed up Twilight Zone world won't be more than a bad dream!"

"Denaya yooo'raw'tuwa!" Watto chuckled. A wide grin breaking across his large face, his tusks getting ever more disgusting. "A optomist, ehhh? A week under Tatooine's suns'll be good medicine for you." He lifted the black cube he was holding between his thick fingers. "Just remember to not escape, uhhh." He said. "Or you'll get seven feet outside Mos Espa and you're brains'll be outside your insides. You'll be no good to me then, pa choota shutta! No good to anybody, ehhh?"

Buffy shook her head. She was practically convinced now that it was all a dream. The real world was just waiting for her to wake up. It had to be! "Whatever you say, Elmo." The nickname didn't really work for Watto, because he was blue not red, but the nose structure was almost right. _And the fact that he looks like a puppet dancing on strings!_ "Slug nose." Oh, well, she'd come up with something better later. _If there's a later._ This had to be a dream.

"Heh-heh, I let you have it this time." Watto said. "Only to watch the suns drain away that sparkling optimism, ehhh. You find out in a few days, ehhh. When I put you to work."

"Why not start now, Elmo?" Buffy asked. "I'll show you how useful I can be." _And how much trouble I can cause._ She was going to wake up and until then, she'd play this game her way, the snarky way.

"Uhhh, not today." Watto shook his head. "The shop's closed down and a sandstorm is coming. You no good to me after the sand's stripped all the flesh off your bones."

Buffy blinked. Sandstorm? Maybe this really was a desert after all. "Fine." She said. "You gotta place for a girl to sleep, Elmo? Or am I just supposed to bunk down in the linen closet?" She patted the hard ground beneath her.

"Elmo?" Watto mused. "Maybe that means master in your language, ehhh?"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, slug nose."

"Maybe I'd be better off having that tongue removed, ehhh?" The Toydarian chuckled for a moment and then shook his head.

"But then you'd miss out on all my pretty, witty humor."

"Ehhh, ha ha. We'll see." Watto smiled. "Pi'dake'caba de'yako!" With a wave of his plump hand the Toydarian turned away from the small, dark room.

Buffy watched with surprise as a small, fair-haired boy appeared from around the corner. With his rounded face and cherub cheeks, he looked like he couldn't be more than nine years old. The boy was dressed in bland, gray clothing, what Buffy could really only describe as rags. But still, his even his grubby appearance was cleaner than Buffy felt.

She itched all over, knowing that the sand had probably invaded every crack and crevice of her body. Oh, what she wouldn't give for a warm, hot bath!

"Meetasa, chusbasa!" The boy complained as he came to a stop beside Watto. "Wa'ta'ta ree'bo!"

"Meesa wan'ta slavo shutta." Watto gestured towards her, almost imperiously and Buffy fought back a cringe. He was probably ordering this poor kid to take her somewhere. She was fighting as hard as she could to keep from leaping across the enclosed space and start bashing Watto's smug elephant nose into his brain. "Wa'taka ga'robo." He continued on with a long list of orders and the boy nodded slowly, occasionally sending her a reassuring smile.

It was the kind of sweetly innocent smile that could reach and warm any heart. Even the most jaded or cynical, the kind Buffy's was becoming. She couldn't help but smile back. It felt like he was telling her it would be all right and Buffy realized for the first time: that this was the only moment she'd truly trusted anyone in this deserted and forsaken place. _He's adorable._ Being an only child, Buffy had always wanted a sibling and now, she realized she would have loved having one like him.

Demands finished, Watto buzzed away, leaving the little blonde boy alone with Buffy.

"Hi." He said. Moving forward, he extended a small hand towards her. "I'm Anakin, Anakin Skywalker."

Taking it, Buffy shook it gratefully. "And I'm Buffy Summers."

"You were just captured today, weren't you?" Little Anakin asked. His bright blue eyes were blazing with curiosity as he stared at her. "I saw Joel Ganner drag you off his sled from the Junkyard. And I knew you were gonna be sold to Watto! I just knew it!" He grinned brightly.

"Yeah," Buffy mumbled as she pushed herself to her feet. Her body still ached like crazy. It'd hurt after the battle with Angelus, sure, but that stun gun had only made it worse. "Tell me, Anakin," she winced, listening to her spinal column pop. "What does old Elmo do here?"

_Note to self, give old elephant nose a better nickname._ Elmo, for all it's childhood value, just wasn't cutting it.

Anakin looked confused for a moment. "You mean Watto?" He asked. When she nodded, he grinned. "You got some spunk, Buffy!" Buffy lifted her eyebrows, indicating that he should go on about Watto. "Before I get on that, I should tell you, Watto told me to set you up in one of the slave houses, but they're all full. So I'm gonna just bring you home to my mom. We have plenty of space and I think you'll really like it there."

Buffy blinked. "You want me to live with you?" The base of her neck was tingling again, but was it a good tingling or a bad one? Buffy nearly let out an exasperated yell, this was so frustrating! _Why can't I just wake up!_ Get back home, where her friends were, where Giles was, and her mom.

"_You walk out of this house, don't even think about coming back!"_

Buffy flinched as the words hissed through her.

Holding her hand, Anakin looked up at her with wide, worried eyes. "Or, I could see if old Mister Fodo wants some extra company. He's pretty nice too and he's gone deaf in one ear, so he won't hear any racket you make."

Buffy looked down at Anakin's small face. He was looking a little disappointed, his fingers gripping hers more tightly than before. _He must've thought that response was about him_. While Buffy was a little uncomfortable with the idea of living with strangers, she didn't want to make Anakin feel bad.

"Living with you'll be fine." She said.

"Bara'tu'wooo!" Anakin shouted excitedly, almost jumping into the air.

"What does that mean?" Buffy asked as Anakin pulled her towards the back door of the shop.

"It's Toydarian. Watto made me learn it." A light blush suffused Anakin's cheeks, making him even more adorable in his embarrassment. Buffy's heart went out to the little boy. Despite his cheerful appearance, she wondered how hard his life must be. How hard her life would be if she didn't wake up soon. "It means…" Anakin swallowed. "Yippee."

"You don't get much company, do you?" Buffy asked.

"Nope." Anakin said. "You're the first visitor, we've ever had."

"Doesn't Watto own any other slaves?"

"Uh-uh." Anakin shook his head vigorously. "You're the first one he's bought, since he won my Mom and me from Gardulla the Hutt betting on the Podraces. That practically makes us family, you know."

"Oh." Buffy murmured.

The two walked out into the pink light of Tatooine dusk. In the encroaching darkness, Buffy took note of her surroundings. Her green eyes examining the piles, upon piles of junk and scrap metal pieces that were tossed left and right around the clay walled interior. There was a large round ball about the height of a normal sized man sitting amiss large chunks of silver colored metal and large curling balls of wire. What looked like cables ran across the ground like snakes and they lay unconnected, headless, in the sandy dirt. The junk was piled from one side of the wall to the other, with only a tiny walkway from one end to the other.

Chattering away, Anakin led Buffy through the curved door at the back of the compound and out onto the streets of Mos Espa. Buffy couldn't keep the amazement out of her eyes as she stared out across the city. Each house and building was shaped like a dome and seemed to be built out of some kind of reddish tanned mud or clay. The streets were windy before her and filled with strange and different life forms. Buffy swallowed, fighting back the Slayer urge to kill everything that wasn't human. Even though she didn't really feel any danger, not with Anakin beside her, their hands clasped together. Unnerved and tired as Buffy was, she felt like she could take on the world with him. Like standing next to him was where she belonged.

"You've never seen Mos Espa before?" Anakin asked. He was watching each and every expression that crossed her face with interest. It'd been so long since he'd come to Tatooine and it was interesting to learn what outsiders thought of it.

"I've never…" Buffy swallowed. "I've never been on this planet before." She admitted. "I've never seen two suns."

"Really?" Anakin asked. He looked up at the stars with a strange exhilaration. "So you're from the stars? You came in a space ship?"

"Something like that." Buffy nodded.

"So where's your home planet?" Anakin asked. He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as he looked up at her. "Cerea? Koruun? Corellia?" Tilting his head, he examined her for a second time. "You look like you're from Corellia."

Buffy swallowed. This was all getting a little too close for comfort. "None of those." She admitted. "I don't really remember where I came from." Buffy glanced down into his earnest blue eyes and felt bad for lying. _But what good would it do for him to learn the truth?_ She wondered. There was no way he'd believe her. It all sounded too far out there. _And a slave like him's not gonna have access to high tech equipment._ Not that she could use it if she tried. She'd slept through the Fourth Grade lectures about the planets, the solar system, and the Milky Way. _I don't know if I'm even still in the Milky Way._ Somehow, she sort of doubted it. It felt like something or someone, the Powers that Be maybe? Had thrown her out of her own galaxy. Buffy shook her head. "I don't even remember how I got here. The only thing I remember is waking up in the desert."

"That's tough." Anakin nodded. "I don't remember any place other than here either." But he shook his head. "But someday, I'm gonna be a pilot and I'll see all the stars!"

"I bet you will." Buffy chuckled and reflexively reached over to ruffle his sandy blonde hair. It was soft beneath her fingers.

"Come on." Anakin said with an even bigger grin. "I'll take you home to Mom and she'll give you some clean clothes and tell you everything! And then after we eat, I'll show you the droid I'm building and the Pod too! Did I tell you I'm a Pod racer?"

Buffy continued to nod, but her mind was a whirlwind of questions. What were droids? What was a Pod? How did people travel across the stars? And most importantly, was she ever going to wake up? Was she ever going to go home?

As she walked towards the compound of homes that served as Mos Espa's slave quarters, Buffy could only shake her head in misery. The feeling in her gut told her that she was stuck her and the despair overpowering her mind said the same.

But Buffy was a Slayer and there was one thing that historically Slayers had never been good at:

Giving up.

**AN**: The second chapter is done and out of the way, I hope you enjoyed it. Remember to leave comments. Feedback = love. Whether you liked it or hated it, responses are all anyone can ask for. So leave me some.

The next chapter will get us into the nitty gritty and we'll see some Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. So, yay!

Until next time.


	4. Chapter 3: Jedi

Chapter Three: Jedi

One year passed into another and was marked 32 BBY by the Galactic Calendar. A year of great transition both for the Galaxy and for a young woman named Buffy Anne Summers, who is struggling to adjust to new surroundings and unfamiliar technology, the year has been troubling indeed. Though she was adopted fully by Shmi Skywalker and her son Anakin into their family, dark thoughts continue to weigh on the young Slayer's mind.

Heading towards the small desert planet of Tatooine is Naboo's escaped Queen and her Jedi escort. During its escape from the Trade Federation blockade, the ship took damage to its hyper drive, making any jumps out of the system impossible. The only course for the fugitives is to land on the planet and seek what supplies they need. Little do they know that it is the Living Force which has brought about this meeting, aligning the paths of fate into a tangled skein and forcing the young Skywalker and his sister onto the road of destiny.

***

Obi-Wan Kenobi stared out at the viewport at the yellow planet below. Hands clasped over his waist, Obi-wan attempted to practice the meditation exercises that his master Jedi Qui-gon Jinn had instilled in him during their first few years together. In the days before Obi-wan had foolishly fallen in with the Young and decided to give up on the Jedi way. Only the death of a close friend in that foolish and unending war had forced him to see the wisdom of the Jedi Way and brought him back into the fold.

Even now, Obi-wan could still clearly see the face of Cerasi as she lay dying in his arms. Her body easing out its last breath and feeling the moment when her spirit become one with the Force. Closing his eyes, Obi-wan reached for his center, his place of peace, where he could balance his emotions.

_What happened on Naboo still remains in my mind._ The exhilaration of battle, the feel of the lightsaber blade as he carved the attacking B1 battle droids to pieces. The rush of the Force as it flowed through him, guiding his actions, overcoming his feelings until all he felt was the dance. It was a deadly dance.

_Was that truly the Jedi way?_ He wondered. Reaching out to touch the glass, Obi-wan opened his eyes and gazed down at the planet below once more. They needed to return to the Republic as quickly as possible to deliver the message that the Trade Federation had broken its treaty and attacked the people of Naboo. It was incredibly urgent and weighed heavily on Obi-wan's mind, interrupting his meditations and his contemplation of the Force.

Yet, Qui-gon seemed to be in no hurry. His master looked upon this divergence of course as a simple exercise in the will of the Force. While he seemed greatly concerned for the safety of the citizens of Naboo, Qui-Gon sensed something waiting for them on the planet below. Something of great importance.

Obi-wan sensed nothing at all. Yes, there was a teasing at the back of his mind, a strange tugging that told him something was there. Someone either of his past or in his future, but that was all he could discern. The Force was clouded and the future unclear. And no matter how hard Obi-wan meditated he could not for the life of him understand this feeling. It didn't even feel all that important. Not the way Qui-Gon seemed to think it was.

This frustrated Obi-wan greatly. Especially since he was the one who had discovered this backwater sandpit while they were escaping from the firing of the Trade Federation.

_This is why Qui-Gon is still the master and I am a simple learner._ While Obi-wan was eager for Qui-Gon's consent to take the Jedi Trials and become a Knight, he also knew that he had much learning ahead of him to do. Still, he longed for Qui-Gon to think him ready. Obi-wan knew his master was a great Jedi and any praise Qui-Gon bestowed, Obi-wan remembered. The older Jedi's compliments were few enough.

_Obi-wan, you are needed in the cockpit._ His master's call came swiftly through the Force and Obi-wan had no more time for contemplation.

_I must get my mind on the task at hand._ He could not afford to be distracted by the faint tuggings of his mind. Whatever they where, they could wait until this business with Naboo was dealt with.

Silently, Obi-wan made his way through the hallways of the J-type 327 Nubian Royal Starship. He made note that, despite it's illustrious title, the hallways were rather small and cramped. Assumingly they had been designed that way to afford the conference rooms and living quarters with more luxurious space. Still, it made it difficult to walk comfortably. Though Obi-wan was accustomed to far worse places. He made his way into the cabin of the cockpit and settled down beside the pilot, ready to help bring the Nubian starship in for a landing.

"Land near the outskirts." Qui-Gon said. "I don't want to attract attention."

Thirty minutes later, the ship was on the ground and Obi-wan had taken to examining the engines. With dismay, he found that the hyper drive had given out completely and was no longer functioning. He wondered if this was yet another coincidence or if it was the Force willing them to spend more time on planet. Either way, Obi-wan had mixed feelings about it. The tug at the back of his mind had grown more insistent and now, he thought that he could almost see a face through the shroud.

Running his fingers across the hyper drive to reassure what his senses were already telling him, Obi-wan straightened. He had no time for visions now. Even if the irritation he'd sensed for months was finally close at hand. Obi-wan was not eager to meet this event or person, which ever it was. Even though he admittedly had a great appetite for adventure.

A soft hiss of the doors and the warm ball that was his master's Force presence, alerted Obi-wan to Qui-Gon's arrival. Immediately, Obi-wan filled him in on what he had learned.

"The hyper drive generator's gone, Master." He said, watching as the long haired Jedi pulled a worn brown garment over his shoulders. "We will need a new one."

It hung down on either side in a triangle shape, obscuring both Qui-Gon's hands and his lightsaber. Without his Jedi robes, Qui-Gon would take the appearance of another simple traveler. His attire kept with their need for secrecy and Obi-wan didn't spend much time contemplating it.

His master sighed, but it was without aggravation. Instead, he was merely accepting what the Force had handed to them with serenity. It was an outlook that Obi-wan had yet to master and made him feel guilty for his own impatience.

"That will complicate things." His master glanced, and Obi-wan sensed that he was also searching with his senses for those who might be listening in. Finally, Qui-Gon's dark brown eyes returned to the blues of his Padawan. "Be wary," he said. "I sense a disturbance in the Force."

"I feel it also, Master." Obi-wan said with a nod.

"Don't let them send any transmissions."

With those last orders, Qui-Gon left the ship, leaving Obi-wan in charge and trusting his young Padawan to keep watch. With a small party that included the heroic droid R2D2 who's noble efforts had allowed the ship to escape from the Trade Federation's blockade, the Gungan Jar Jar Binks, and a young handmaiden of the Queen named Padme Naberrie. Qui-Gon set out for the small frontier town of Mos Espa, certain that the Force would guide him to find what they needed.

With the twin suns high in the sky overhead, the small party made its way into the small but bustling town. The rays catching upon each of the different and oddly shaped buildings that marked the settlements of Tatooine as unique, though their inhabitants could not be bothered to notice. People of all shapes and sizes made their way through the city streets. Banthas and the long necked Ronto were parked on the outskirts as ships buzzed by overhead. Most, identified by the unidentifiable makes of their modified ships, were smugglers loaded or unloading out of the local spaceport. They were part of the Hutts crime ring, one that held no interest to the visitors and what they were looking for.

***

Inside Watto's shop, Buffy set down the last of the broken droids and broken pieces of equipment. According to her little brother Anakin, they were all potentially fixable, if he ever got around to finding the time to get them working. Well, that would require Watto giving him any extra time. There just wasn't enough time in the day for Anakin to put every piece of junk back together. _And work on his pod, and build his droid_.

A small smile touched Buffy's lips as she thought of her little brother. It hadn't taken long at all for her mother, Shmi to accept Buffy into the family circle. Anakin had adored her from the first day they met, when a human scoundrel named Joel Ganner had sold her to Watto. She'd come to them as a young women, alone on an unfamiliar planet and lost in an alien galaxy. She was indebted to them for their kindness. These days they were as real a family to her as the mother and friends she'd left behind on Earth.

Scowling, Buffy tried to force the thoughts from her mind. Memory of the battle with Angelus and the loss of her life only ever made her want to rage, scream, and cry. That usually led to getting into trouble with the Mos Espa's worst crowd: those scoundrels, smugglers, and hunters who frequented the local cantina. When she went there it was never to drink and only ever ended up becoming involved in bar fights, hoping that by pounding on a few hooligans she would rid herself of the thoughts constantly torturing her mind and the memory of who she had been.

Buffy stared down into the broken piece of chrome. Her eyes meeting the distorted features of the blonde girl who stared back and swallowed. She'd had to learn a difficult truth this past year.

_I'm not a Slayer anymore._

That was the hard lesson that Tatooine had taught her.

_I'm just a slave._

Just a normal, human girl whose reflexes were better than normal and whose combat skills were well above average. But here on this planet, she was nothing special. All the lessons drilled into her by her First Watcher and then by Giles, by her friends, and by Angel at the end. They all counted for something here, they all had helped her survive. But that was it.

Something had broken inside her.

The longer her incarceration lasted, the duller the memories of Earth became and with those memories faded her purpose and her reason to fight. Now, she fought for nothing except her anger and her fear of losing more of what she had left. Of losing her new family the same way she had lost her old one.

It was still hard for Buffy to accept that not every creature she met without a human face was indeed a sentient creature and one who could as easily be her ally as her enemy. Not all aliens were bad. _Just like not all humans are good._ That had been her first lesson: Joel Ganner. After him, Buffy had learned to trust her gut, Shmi and Anakin, but only those three. Even her mind was a traitor these days and her heart.

Wiping her brow, she glanced over at her owner to see if he had any more instructions. But the Toydarian was busy calculating the day's sales and didn't even bother to look up. Buffy suppressed a heady sigh. She was barely past the beginning stages of learning the language that Watto was so quick to shout orders in. Like the broken food processor Anakin had rigged together or the interfaces of the computer systems, all were alien and strange to Buffy. She was still lost trying to figure it all out.

_But I'm beginning to find what makes Barbar tick._ And she didn't mean the Toydarian's greed. That was as easy to spot as a mynock chewing on the engine cables.

Buffy paused and shook her head. She was spending too much time around Anakin. His sayings were starting to rub off on her. _Especially since I've never actually seen a mynock._ She snorted and glanced at Watto again, waiting for his instructions. _Two skifters in a sabbac deck that he sends me on a shake down run._ Despite all the problems she caused him, Watto had been quick to make use of her talents. The small Slayer could still be very intimidating and she often succeeded in bullying the money out of the scum, Watto bet with at the Pod Racing tracks.

Not that Shmi approved. Her mother didn't like Buffy's dangerous activities and often feared that Anakin would follow in his sister's violent example. But Buffy worked hard to make sure that result would never happen. She often talked to Anakin about her anger and her loneliness, trying to seek a more productive way to deal with her pain. But nothing that Anakin had introduced her to had worked.

Buffy still magically broke every piece of electric equipment she touched and despite her reflexes; she couldn't manage to fly the Pod. _It nearly gave Mother a heart attack._ Especially the injuries she'd received from the crash. Buffy was just lucky that her quick healing was still in effect these days, or it would have taken a lot longer to heal from the burns and bruises. She now carried an angry scar on her left leg, a reminder of why she would never drive again. _Makes sense though, I suck at driving cars, so I'd suck at flying too._ There was just no helping it.

Deep down, Buffy knew that Anakin's hobbies could never be hers. Her brother was incredibly gifted, able to rebuild everything and capable of deep wisdom that was beyond his years. He could speak all the local languages fluently and…

The tingle in her mind was back, warning her of something. A presence and it was approaching quickly. As usual the feeling never gave her any hints as to whether it was friend or foe, and Buffy spun around slowly on her heel, just as the bell went off indicating that they had visitors.

They were clearly off-worlders. And she was a little amused by the strange way the younger woman in the group dressed. She looked like she was about Buffy's age, maybe sixteen or seventeen. Together with a well-mannered long haired guardian, who walked with a calm self-assurance, a strange looking alien and a… _What is it?_ Anakin had taught her what those domed shaped robots… _Droids,_ she corrected herself. What they were called. _Astro…astronomer…no…astromech!_ She thought triumphantly, turning away to hide her grin. _Ani will be so proud of me!_ Either way, it made for a strange sight, even in a place as strange as Mos Espa.

"A chooba'danaya." Watto's voice broke through her thoughts. Apparently, he too had finally recognized that they had guests.

_Don't notice me._ Buffy thought stiffly as she took a few steps backwards. _Don't call for Ani, either._ Buffy didn't want her little brother getting mixed up with these strangers. She didn't trust spacers, they were always filling Anakin's head with strange outlandish stories and dreams of freedom. _But I know the truth._

After her collar had been exchanged for an implant, Buffy knew that she would never be free. That was part of her darkness. _Never even being able to search for Earth._ She was a Slayer without the slayees. A death machine with no one to kill.

_I'm not a Slayer anymore._ This galaxy had no need for Slayers. _Whatever kind of pathetic Slayer I turned out to be._

Buffy glanced back at the dark haired man as she stayed in her corner, unwilling to attract Watto's attention with any kind of movement.

"I need parts for a J-type 327 Nubian."

The man's words echoed through the store, clear and commanding, his eyes never leaving Watto's face. Still, Buffy felt like his attention was on the whole room. The back of her neck prickled, the way it always did these days when she felt herself being watched. But Buffy refused to give this man the satisfaction of knowing that she had noticed _him_.

Wanting to turn away, Buffy held her place besides the piles of junk. It was standard store policy that the slaves always waited while the master bargained. And Tatooine had beaten into Buffy her worth as a slave.

"Ah, yes." Watto's grinding voice pierced the air. "Nubian." He chuckled. "We have lots a that." Buffy waited for a moment and then Watto shouted for Anakin. "Fi'dake ka'ri'dako."

"I'm right here, Watto." She said. She always called him Watto in front of the customers. Embarrassing him was a good way to earn a lashing and Buffy liked her skin where it was. She'd learned that rebellion for the sake of rebellion was futile. That too had been a hard lesson. Keeping her arms by her side instead of crossing them over her chest, Buffy stared at her owner. "You don't need to call, Ani." She sucked in a deep breath, the further she could keep Ani from these strangers the better. "I'll get you what you need."

"Heh-heh, I have more use for a slave who understands the language, ehhh." Watto replied. "Not some useless shutta, who's only worth is in lifting and fighting." His grin split his face beneath his short trunk of a nose. "Maybe when I have need for a bantha brain to carry a Koonda beryllium lined reactor core, I'll use you uhhh?"

The stranger's gaze was evaluating for a moment, but then the curiosity disappeared behind mild disinterest. "My droid has a read out of the parts we need." He said, motioning to the blue and white astromech lurking behind him.

Buffy bit off a retort as Anakin scampered into the shop. Her eyes went to him worriedly, noting the sparkle that came into his expression as he beheld the strangers. He didn't have much time to gawk though, Watto was on him in the next instant, barking more orders.

"Too'na dis'maki maya." He snapped, cuffing Anakin on the shoulder and admonishing him for being late. That much Buffy understood.

"Mee'tasa chew'basa." Anakin replied. He was making an excuse, one that Watto didn't much care for.

"Cha'cha miwa ba'da'ka." Watto barked, hitting Anakin again with the back of his datapad. An item that was certainly more valuable to him that she was.

Her gaze hardened and her green eyes narrowed into slits, the thought of strangling Watto flashed across her mind. Doing it just for the pleasure of watching the little wretch squirm. She'd enjoy that.

_God, what am I becoming?_ Was there any way for her to stop it?

"So…" Watto turned back to the strangers, rubbing his fingers together on the datapad. He always did that when he knew he was close to making an expensive sale. "Let me tak'a you out back, huh?"

_And Nubian parts are expensive._ Buffy thought. Her eyes were again on Anakin, ignoring the stranger. _Oh, no._ Anakin was staring at the Nubian girl with a strange expression on his face, one that was a mix of adoration and wonder. It was so very different from the one he'd once given her, and that made it all the more nerve wracking. It was an expression she'd seen worn by thousands of men on her own planet. One with which Angel had once gazed at her…

The train of thought immediately jumped back to her lover's face, staring at her with confusion and wonder. Wrapping his arms around her. She planted a kiss on his lips, the last kiss. Then, she'd drawn back her sword and…

"Don't touch anything." The sharp voice of the man pulled her out of her loop. Buffy looked up in surprise, watching as the man yanked a black cylinder out of the alien's hand and set it back down. She covered her mouth to hide a smile at the stricken expression the other wore on his face. Then, as the man turned is back, the alien lifted his fingers to his ears and stuck out his overly long tongue. It was almost too funny for words.

Buffy swallowed, ignoring the alien as he searched through the rest of the store. She was trying to keep her mind from the dark place and while Anakin usually helped with that, seeing him here, now, wearing that expression. Well, that wasn't helping at all. _He's only going to get his heart broken._ And he probably wouldn't listen to her until it was too late.

She sighed, knowing that she would have to find some way to stop events from proceeding. _I won't let Ani be hurt by anything._ Even if it meant he ended up hating her.

**AN: **Another chapter down, but there are so many more to go. Lol, anyway I hope you enjoyed it.

Remember feedback = love.

Until next time


	5. Chapter 4: Cash or Credit?

**Chapter Four: Cash or Credit?**

"Are you an angel?" Anakin asked. His eyes on the face of the new young woman who was examining Watto's shop, blind to everything else, even to observant gaze of his sister.

"What?" Padme asked.

"Of course, she's not Ani." Buffy laughed, but her mouth sounded cold in her ears.

But Anakin wasn't paying attention to her and neither was the girl, Buffy realized. Together it was like they were wrapped up in their own little bubble that no one could pop. Inside her chest, Buffy's heart winced with the memory of that same feeling for a man with the name Angel. _I'm not thinking about him._ She thought, her mouth pressing into a grim line. _Come on Buffy? Where's the spark? Where's the fun?_ Buffy didn't know when she'd traded mirth in for cynicism, but she desperately wished that she could reclaim her own happiness. She hated feeling fake and forced.

"An angel." Anakin repeated. "I heard the deep space pilots talk about them, they're the most beautiful creatures in the universe. I think they live on the moons of Diego, in the Coruus system."

Padme stared at Anakin for a long moment. Then she smiled. "You're a funny little boy." She said.

"Yeah, he is." Buffy said. She plastered a smile on her face as she crossed over to them. Her fingers pointed and ready to prick the invisible bubble. "And he's pretty talented too, like DaVinci or Eistein." Quietly, she ruffled Anakin's hair and he glared at her. His eyes told her to stop treating him like a kid, well that was the exact opposite of what she was going to do. "Our own little backwater genius."

"Yeah and I'm a pilot too." Anakin added. With two hands he tried to shove Buffy away from him, irritation tickling his stomach. This was the first time that he'd ever been really mad at her and he wasn't completely sure why. He just wanted her to stop talking. But she just grinned down at him and he felt his back stiffen. He wasn't some little kid. Picking up a spare control panel, Anakin went to work on it, trying to will his sister to back away. "And someday, I'm gonna fly away from this place."

"You're a pilot?" Padme asked. The disbelief was clear in her voice and Buffy ever the protective sister lifted her chin defiantly.

"He sure is."

"Back off, Buffy!" Anakin grumbled. "I don't need you sticking up for me! I can take care of myself!"

Padme covered her mouth with a hand. "Are you siblings?" She asked. "Because the two of you seem very similar."

"Yeah." Anakin sighed. "Buffy's my big sister."

"Darn tootin'." Buffy smirked. But her eyes darted off towards the exit into the Junkyard. If Watto saw her harassing the customers… Buffy took another deep breath and tried to let the fear slide past her. "For as long as we've been together."

"How long has that been?" Padme asked. Her expression belied her naiveté as she stared at the two young slaves.

Buffy glanced down at Anakin, trying to keep the sadness off of her face. "Since, I came here almost a year ago." Buffy said in a soft voice. "But Ani's been here much longer."

"I've been here since I was very little." Anakin said. His tone suggesting that he found nothing strange at all in his circumstances, instead that he continued telling his tale. His sister's hand coming to rest reassuringly on his shoulder, but he kept his eyes focused only on Padme. "Three, I think." His eyes darted to the floor. "My mom and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt, but she lost us betting on the Podraces. But I don't remember living anywhere but here." He glanced up at Buffy with a big grin.

"But Buffy's seen trees and green things like flowers. She tells me about 'em before I sleep. I swear, I'm not gonna stop searching the galaxy until I find a whole planet colored in green!"

"Yeah, Ani." Buffy smiled. "You'll do that. And you'll bring me back pictures right?"

"What are you talking about?" Anakin laughed. "I'm gonna take you with me when I go, you and Mom too. I wouldn't leave you here with old Barbar slug nose. When I free you, you'll never have to shake gamblers down for creds again!"

"You're slaves." Padme asked, but it was more of a statement than a question. The way they were talking confirmed everything. It was a surprise to realize that two such happy people like these belonged to someone else. For Padme, slavery was disgusting and in the world she'd grown up in, outlawed.

"Yes." Buffy said in a resigned voice.

"I'm a person and my name is Anakin." Anakin snapped. He glared up at his sister. "And you're a person too!" Anakin smacked Buffy on the shoulder with the flat of his palm. "You're not just a slave."

Buffy gazed down at him with sorrowful eyes. _Oh, Anakin._ She thought, fighting the urge to give him a great, big, bone crushing hug. But he looked so dignified in that moment, so grown up, and she couldn't bring herself to spoil it.

"I'm sorry." Padme said in a small voice. "I don't fully understand. This is a strange place to me."

At that moment, the tension was broken by the clumsy alien. Getting to close to one of the worker droids, Jar Jar Binks accidentally poked the eye. Sending the small creature leaping across the room as it stumbled about in it's new found freedom. Jar Jar followed it, reaching out, arms swinging through empty air as the droid ducked and dodged around him. As the tiny droid began to cackle with it's success, Buffy let out an aggravated sigh.

Picking up one the broken pieces of junk, no larger than the length of her thumb. She tossed it in the air for a moment and watched the little droid bounce around the room. Jar Jar swayed after it in an unseemly and ungainly manner, coming no closer to capturing the thing than he had before.

As the droid spun to face her, Buffy lifted her tiny bit of plasteel and chucked it at the face of the droid. With the accuracy of a seven inning no hitter, the chunk bounced off the nose of the droid. An irritated beep was the last few words as the little droid bundled itself back up and fell to the floor. After that it didn't move.

"Idiot." Buffy sighed as she strode across the room, picking the maintenance droid up by it's head and depositing it back in the stack with its brothers. "You're supposed to hit the nose."

"Oh." Jar Jar's wiggling ears sagged a bit as he looked over at Buffy. "Meesa sorry." He mumbled. "Won't happen again."

"Better not." Buffy grumbled.

She was all for having a bit of fun but if Watto came back and discovered his shop in ruins and a droid running loose, he'd blame her. _Say it was a prank._ Even if she had nothing to do with it. That was the way it always happened. _And all I'd get out of it was another lashing._ She didn't need that, not at the expense of off-worlders who could come and go as they pleased. _Who have a ship._ Who could go home. Buffy shook her head. Brooding would get her nothing but more useless dreams.

_Let Anakin dream._ Buffy Summers Skywalker was too old for fairy tales.

Outside, Qui-Gon listened to Watto with polite interest, but his mind was snagged on the two young people he'd sensed inside the shop. Both were strange and they'd made an impression on him. Something that wasn't easy. They were interesting, to say the least, though the girl had a terrible sadness about her, one so strong that it nearly pierced the barriers of his mind. She had powerful gifts that one.

But she would have to learn how to shield her thoughts. At the moment, she was like a wound in the Force, all of her pain and suffering bleeding out of her. And all he could hear was her rage.

Useful, he supposed if one wanted to hide their true motive. But he doubted that the girl was well trained enough for such a gambit. What her pain hid its loud piercing roar, was an addition to the solution.

Then, there was the boy. He was something entirely different but no less special.

"Hey," Watto asked. "So, how you gonna pay for alla dis?"

Qui-Gon turned to the floating trunk nosed Toydarian. "I have twenty thousand Republic dactaries." He said.

"Republic credits?" Watto seemed to consider the number for a moment but then shook his head. "Republic credits are no good out here. I need something more real."

Qui-Gon repressed a sigh. "I don't have anything else," he said, waving his hand before Watto's eyes. "But credits will do fine." It was an age-old skill of the Jedi, the Mind Trick.

"No they won't." Watto snapped. Turning his nose up snootily at the Jedi Master.

"Credits _will_ do fine." Qui-Gon said.

"_No_," Watto responded, getting right up into Qui-Gon's face. "They won't! What you think you some kind of Jedi? Waving your hand around like that!" Watto shook his bulbous head vigorously and chuckled. "I'm a Toydarian, mind tricks don't work on me. His smile widened as he rubbed his two claws together. "Only money." He jabbed his finger towards Qui-Gon's chest. "No money, no parts, no deal! And no one else has a T15 Hyperdrive I promise you that!"

With a polite smile, Qui-Gon turned and headed back through the store.

"Wouldn't've lasted long anyway if I wasn't so good at building things." Anakin told Padme. His eyes though, they were following his sister, who was carefully shadowing Jar Jar to keep him from breaking things. She seemed resigned to the fact that Anakin would talk to Padme, even if she didn't approve. In fact, her disapproval had only managed to make him want to talk to her more. "And Buffy, Mom's worried that she's gonna get herself killed soon in a cantina brawl or while shaking down Watto's debtors. He always sends her on the toughest jobs."

Buffy was standing behind Jar Jar, calmly catching all the pieces that magically seemed to fly out of his hands. As he stumbled around, she circled him. Qui-Gon walked past and Jar Jar, distracted by the Jedi Master, let out a loud yelp and stumbled, sending all the power cells flying into the air. One by one, Buffy pulled them out of the air and safely into her arms.

"We're leaving." Qui-Gon said as he passed. He didn't stop to get another look at the two youngsters. "Jar Jar."

Padme smiled widely at Anakin and backed away after Qui-Gon Jinn. "I'm glad to have met you Anakin."

Watching her and Jar Jar Binks disappear out the door, Anakin called out, "I was glad to meet you too!"

"Thanks for the business." Buffy added; giving their four retreating backs a mock-salute with one of the cylindrical power cells. "We appreciate you spending your hard cold cash here with us here in Hell's Junkyard." _Please don't come back soon._

Watto buzzed back in grumbling in his strange language, he glared at both Anakin and Buffy as the younger of the two made the suggestion that their visitors weren't so bad. Buffy, irritating as it was, found that she could only agree with their master. But unlike him, she hoped that they never saw their faces again. _With or without the cash._

"Go." Watto said to Anakin. "I'm done with you today."

Her little brother's face lit up into a brilliant grin as he jumped of the counter. "What about Buffy?" He asked. His eyes wide and innocent as they stared up at his master, his gaze incredibly hopeful.

"Be'ta man'o'ya." Watto grumbled, waving for Buffy to put the power cells down. He was letting her loose too.

"Thanks Barbar elephant nose!" Buffy called, backing up as she followed Anakin out the door. She could barely believe that he was giving them the afternoon off. _He either made a good sale or he's in a really, really bad mood._ Personally Buffy didn't want to stick around to find out.

"You!" Watto lifted up a warning finger as she gave him a salute. "No trouble."

"Come on, boss." She grinned. "What trouble could I possibly get into?" With that, she followed Anakin out the door at a dead run. For the moment, all her burdens seemed lifted and she felt free, like she was a kid again.

"Bah!" The Toydarian grumbled, circling his shop alone. "Kids."

Back on the Nubian starship, Obi-wan was deep in conversation with his Jedi Master.

"And you're sure there's nothing left aboard?" Qui-Gon asked through the com-system.

Obi-wan shook his head. "A few containers of supplies, the Queen's wardrobe maybe, but…" He paused a moment in thought and then shook his head again. "Not enough for you to barter with. Not in the amount you're talking about."

In Mos Espa, Qui-Gon gave a long sigh into his com unit. "Alright," he said, suddenly resigned to the fact that hardships were indeed ahead. But Qui-Gon was a Jedi Master and he had faith in the will of the Force. "I'm sure another solution will present itself. I'll check back later."

He began to move out into the city streets, but Jar Jar stopped him. "No again!" The Gungan exclaimed burst into out at him, arms waving in the air like a wild man. "No again! The beass go abouts? Ca-wazy! Wesa be wobbed and crunched!"

"Not likely." Qui-Gon told him in the same flat voice. "We have nothing of value and that's our problem."

They would have to find something, some way and Qui-Gon was certain the opportunity would arise. The Force had never let him down yet and if they must remain on this planet, that meant there were things yet the Force wished them to discover. Perhaps something important, something that would be worth a few extra days. Thinking back to the two children he'd seen in Watto's Junkyard Dealership and the strange feeling he'd gotten from both of them. Qui-Gon knew that he would have to find some way to investigate them.

If the Force didn't lead them to him first.

**A/N:** That's chapter four. Remember to tell me what you think. ^_^


	6. Chapter 5: Sandstorm

Chapter Five: Sandstorm

Anakin walked out into the alley towards the market district, this was one of the few times when Watto let him off early enough that he could explore what was for sale, even if he didn't have any money. He rounded the corner, knowing that his sister was probably close behind him and stopped.

A Dug was assaulting the strange alien he'd met before in Watto's shop, it was apparently taking issue to the way Jar Jar had ruined his lunch. He was threatening to remove one of the Gungan's limbs as payment. Well, Anakin wasn't about to let that happen! Not to one of Padme's friends. Resisting the urge to roll up his sleeves the way he'd seen angry moisture farmers do while their children rough housed, Anakin strode across the desert sands.

He stopped, a few centimeters from where Sebulba was torturing Jar Jar, with one foot wrapped around the Gungan's throat. His other raised high, ready to hit Jar Jar if he intended to fight back.

From the side of the building, Buffy watched Anakin. He'd always been brave, even a bit foolish and he had no fear when facing down older and tougher adversaries. To be honest, it made her worry about him a little for when he grew older. After all, a simple mistake made it easy to get killed and if he was going to interfere like this… She sighed. What was the matter with her? A year ago, she would have been right out there with him. When had she become so pragmatic?

She wasn't afraid of a fight. _After all, the only fights have left don't mean a damn thing._

Anakin was talking to Sebulba, a sly smirk touching each edge of his mouth. He was clearly mocking the other. Probably insulting his abilities as a Podracer, saying that he'd beat him in the next race. But it wasn't clear. Buffy only had a basic understanding of the language and that wasn't nearly enough to allow her to grasp the complexities in their statements.

Buffy moved off the wall as Sebulba took a step towards Anakin, his posture threatening. _He tries that and I'll teach him the same lesson I taught him last time._ She thought grimly, marching across the sands. Sebulba, who spotted her coming up behind Anakin began to back track quickly, dropping his grip on the Gungan and stalking off.

With Anakin's back to her, she couldn't see the smug grin that cut across his face. But the way his back straightened up proudly told her everything. He thought he'd gotten rid of Sebulba all by himself and Buffy was willing, for the moment to let him entertain that delusion. _So long as it doesn't explode his ego._ That was always rough, if Ani got too full of himself it was her job as a sister to take him down a peg. _And he don't like that._ No, Ani didn't like that one bit. But what brother did?

"Hi." Anakin said.

Buffy looked up, her stomach sinking at the sight of the man from Watto's shop approaching to get a better look at his friend. Somehow, they'd found their way back together again. _Can't we just avoid these guys?_ She wondered. _Please universe?_

"Hi, there." The man replied.

"You're buddy here was about to be turned into orange goo." Anakin said.

"That's an understatement." Buffy called, breaking into a jog as she caught up behind Anakin. "Paste is more like it." She said. "Into pebbles, specks, and bantha poodoo." Playfully, she whacked her brother over the head. "You know he doesn't do goo, Ani." She added, a small smile playing on her lips. "He does worse than goo."

"I'm using my vocabulary." Anakin protested. He glanced up at Buffy in irritation, rubbing the back of his head. "And Sebulba turns people into goo."

"No, he pounds them into the dust." Buffy corrected. "You've been around to see it happen, Ani." She gazed down at her little brother, her eyes earnest. "You know what happens."

"Yeah." Anakin laughed. "But you're the one who got Selbulba to start jumping at shadows." He looked up at Buffy with glowing pride. "Someday, I'll be tough enough to make him respect me like that."

Buffy's eyes fell a bit and she noticed the eyes of the man on her. They were, disappointed. She felt her stomach churn and then her temper burn, who was he to make her feel this way?

"Trust me, young one." Qui-Gon said with a sigh. "That's not the kind of respect you want."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Ani." Buffy said. "You don't go looking for fights. If real trouble's coming, it'll always find you." She sighed. "Before you even have a chance to get your boots on."

"But _you_ do." Anakin said.

He was staring up at Buffy with earnest eyes. In so many ways, she was his hero. She was so strong and so capable. She didn't let anyone make fun of her or push her around because she was a tiny human. Buffy stood up for herself, even against terrible odds. She'd once gone bare handed at a group of Gamorreans with nothing but her fists and they'd been equipped with blasters and Force Pikes. Sure, she'd ended up with a couple scars and cracked ribs, but the Gamorreans had never troubled their mother again. From market to holiday, they were polite as you please. Anakin knew the truth. They were scared of Buffy.

"That's different." Buffy said in a soft voice. "The reasons why I do it are… Well, they're not good ones." She cast a glance at the man on the other side of Anakin, he was watching them intently, studiously. _What's he trying to figure out._ "And I don't want you imitating them."

"Aww, come on Buffy." Anakin whined. "You saw what happened with Sebulba, I saved this Gungan's life. Tell me that's not a good thing?"

Buffy shook her head. "Helping this guy," she glanced down. "Was a good deed. But Ani, when all you do is make people scared, you'll eventually look around and find all that's left is you." She rested her hand on the top of his head, knowing that he couldn't really understand what she was talking about. He was too young and he'd never seen the horrors of combat. "And that's a lonely place to be."

Silently, Anakin nodded and looked down at the dirt.

Qui-Gon glanced at the girl in surprise. He hadn't realized that she was so world-weary, so knowledgeable about combat. _But then, I hardly know her. I know nothing of her past. All that is made aware to me is the rage that screams in the Force._ The way Sebulba had run from her suggested that she was the same kind of thug, one who dealt harshly with her enemies. But at the same time, there was a loneliness in those green eyes. A girl who was so mixed up that she could not longer see up from down, trapped in a storm of her own making, searching for a way out of the darkness but finding no light to show her the way. _There is only so much love and friendship can do._ The longer he stared at her and listened to her, the more obvious it became that she would need to be trained in the Jedi ways. _Before her emotions stop hurting only her and begin wreaking havoc on those around her._ No, she would have to be trained. _Her age will be an issue._ But that had never stopped the Jedi of old.

_She's simply looking for a place to belong._ And in that moment, Qui-Gon Jinn's heart went out to her.

"Your friend should watch himself." Buffy added. She looked straight into Qui-Gon's eyes, her own greens intense. "Next time Sebulba catches him alone, he'll pull his skin inside out and wear his intestines for a crown."

_And the same could happen to me or Anakin if we're not careful._ Buffy had no doubts that Sebulba planned to take his revenge out in the Podrace. _The only time I can't protect him._ But that was a worry for the future, Buffy knew she had to keep her mind focused on the now.

"Yeah, Sebulba's really dangerous." Anakin nodded.

Qui-Gon held out a hand and pulled Jar Jar to his feet. "Meesa hate being cruchy." Jar Jar said. "That's the last thing meesa want."

"Nevertheless these two are right." Qui-Gon said. "You are heading into trouble."

He looked back at the two, knowing that he would have to be subtle and disinterested. He felt that the girl already suspected or was picking up on something thanks to her own natural sensitivity, even if she was not consciously aware of it. She fought against the Force's maneuvering and it's hand in their meeting. He could sense that she wanted nothing to do with them. The boy was another matter though, his actions were moved by the will of the Force and it was almost joyful, not grudgingly in spite of. In Qui-Gon's second sight the boy was almost a willing pawn. But the question remained, burrowed firmly in the Master's mind as if it had always been there: what was their potential? For that he would need a midichlorian count. And he didn't know how he would get close enough to get it. _The Force will provide a way._

"Thanks, my young friends." He told them, turning to go.

Out in the desert the wind was brewing and there were the sings of a Sandstorm ready to blow in from the east. The sky had turned a hazy brownish color and as Obi-wan Kenobi stood outside the Nubian starship, his eyes on the imminent weather, he felt a strong pull from within his gut. The Force was calling to him again. The face was firmly cemented in his mind, the face of someone important, no, someone who would be important to him. But it felt like this face was hidden behind a web of spider-silk. If the time was not ready yet, Obi-wan could only hope that the Force would reveal its intentions more clearly in time. He knew that when the person presented themselves before him, he would know. _I must not be impatient._ He thought. Though waiting had proven to be very, very hard.

He must keep his thoughts focused on the mission at hand and the trouble this brewing sandstorm would cause. Lifting his hand to shield his eyes, feeling the folds of his robe whip around him, Obi-wan turned to Captain Panaka, the head of Queen Amidala's Security Force.

"This storm will slow them down." He said, his voice rising so that he could be heard over the howl of the wind.

"Looks pretty bad." Captain Panaka agreed. There was a beep on the man's belt and the Captain reached for his comlink. Lifting it up, he said. "Tanaka?"

"We're receiving a message from home." The voice of ship's pilot, Arnoo Fredo came through the speaker.

"We'll be right there." Panaka replied.

Obi-wan didn't cast another look back towards the town. The tug in his gut was still strong and he wanted to leave his post to search for what the Force was calling him too. _But my master placed great trust in me._ And Obi-wan Kenobi would not break that trust. He had once failed Master Qui-Gon, he would not do so again.

He followed Panaka back towards the ship. He would be there when they heard the message and he would make certain that Qui-Gon's orders were to be obeyed. There was something moving out there in the Force, something elusive. It seemed to only be waiting for its chance. Well, Obi-wan was not going to give it that chance.

Silently, as he followed Panaka up the ramp, he motioned for the first mate to raise it behind them. Casting one more look back as the town of Mos Espa, Obi-wan shook his head. Adventure for him could wait another day, the Force would reveal its desires in due time. Then he, as its servant, would have no choice but to follow them.

Anakin had insisted on showing their new friends around the city and Buffy had come along, only to keep an eye on her brother, to keep him from being too influenced by these strangers. She didn't want her little brother's head to be stuffed with flights of fancy and dreams of nonsense. Buffy didn't want to have to pick up the mess after these off-worlders had left. She kept her eyes on the one called Qui-Gon, ignoring the Gungan, the girl, and the droid. For some reason, he was the influence she truly feared. Something about him made her stomach buzz and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She knew he was dangerous, she just wasn't sure how yet. _But I'm going to find out._

"Here." Anakin pushed a small pastry towards Qui-Gon's loose hanging hand. "Try these paolos."

But Qui-Gon's attention was not on Anakin nor was it on Buffy. This time, his senses were directed to the east, feeling the collecting sandstorm that was hurtling down towards them. Feeling the root type pastry pressed against his fingers, he glanced down at young Anakin with a smile. "Thank you." Gently, he took the food from the young boy's hand.

As Qui-Gon lifted his robe to stuff the pastry into his belt to be saved for later, Anakin's eyes found the cylindrical hilt of his lightsaber. His breath catching in his throat as the possibility of whom this strange man was caught in his imagination.

Buffy's eyes had shifted from them all, feeling the brush of wind rustling the sand beneath her feet. She stared to the east and saw the gathering clouds. "Anakin." She began.

"Oh, my bones or aching." The shop lady, Argenta Delmo groaned as she glanced past Anakin, off in the direction that Buffy was looking. Her withered, sun dried face crinkling into an expression of concern. She'd always been fond of young Anakin Skywalker, even if she was a little wary of the sister and her bad reputation. "Storm's coming Ani, you better get home!"

"Yeah, Ani." Buffy said. "This one looks like it'll be all kinds of Dante's Inferno nasty."

Both she and Anakin were well aware of the dangers posed by sandstorms on Tatooine. They were worse than anything Buffy had ever seen or heard about on Earth. The only way to survive outside during one was in some kind of special outfit, like the kind the Tuskan Raiders wore to protect them from the raging sands. A human caught out alone could have his flesh stripped in minutes and his bones bleached and buried by the end of it. Buffy and Anakin had known a few kinder treasure hunters who'd suffered that fate.

They had made a pact together to ensure that particular fate would never be theirs.

Anakin turned to look up at their company. He knew that his sister wanted to get going, but he couldn't leave Qui-Gonn, Padme and their friends to face the dangers of the storm alone. It just wasn't right. _Offering them shelter is what Mom would do._ He thought and thinking of Shmi put an end to his metal deliberations. _Besides if Qui-Gon really is a Jed, then bringing him home will give me the chance to find out more!_

"Do you have shelter?" He asked.

"Anakin!" Buffy exclaimed. "Between Mom, me, your droid and you, the house is packed enough as it is!"

"Oh, come on Buffy!" Anakin snapped. "They don't mean us any harm! And if they don't have any place to stay, then it's our duty to offer them shelter." Buffy glowered at him for a moment, glancing uneasily back at Qui-Gon, Padme, Jar Jar, and R2D2. "It's what Mom would do."

The Shmi argument sunk any retort Buffy had.

"Fine." She grumbled. "But they're staying in _your_ bedroom!"

"We have no wish to inconvenience you." Qui-Gon told her. He didn't want to put Buffy any further on edge than she already was. If he wanted to reach her, he would have to gain her trust. And he doubted such a task would be easy. "We'll head back to our ship."

"Is it far?" Anakin asked.

"What does it matter, Ani?" Buffy asked. "Why don't we just go?"

"It's on the outskirts." Padme said.

"See!" Anakin turned on Buffy. "They'll never reach their ship in time! They've got to come home with us!"

"Or face a gruesome death." Buffy sighed. "I know the drill, Ani."

"See!" Anakin turned to Qui-Gon. "Even Buffy agrees to let you stay! So, you have to come with us." Hopefully, he reached out towards the Jedi Master. "I mean you've got to."

"There's no dissuading him." Buffy sighed. "So, you better do as he says." She glanced down at Anakin with a wry smile. "He's too stubborn for his own good and he won't go home until you come with us." Lifting her hand to her brow she glanced back towards the east. "Which will have to be soon, looks like this thing's already revving up."

That was how, by the unexpected fury of nature, that Qui-Gon Jinn, Padme Naberrie, Jar Jar Binks, and R2D2 found themselves guests in the home of Shmi Skywalker.

The wind was whipping up behind them, blowing hard enough to cloud their vision with spraying sand. Covering their eyes, the small group followed the two blondes, one short and the other tall, until they reached a tiny apartment cut into the face of Mos Espa's rock wall. Anakin was the first to arrive and pulled open the door, he went in. The others shuffled in behind him.

"Mom!" He called, his voice high pitched. "Mom! We're home!"

"Hey Mama Bear." Buffy called. Brushing the sand out of her hair and shaking out her loose, ragged shirt, she made her way across the tiny living room. "We're back."

At the sound of her children's voices, Shmi Skywalker emerged from her kitchen. The surprise on her face was evident as she looked around that the guests who had gathered in her living room. She glanced from Buffy to Anakin, looking for some kind of an explanation, her daughter waved at the extra figures a bit helplessly. Her shoulders swinging up and down in a lazy shrug. Shmi's mouth pressed into a line, but the corners of her mouth twitched.

Though Buffy had only come into their lives a year ago, both she and her son loved her as if she'd been part of the family to begin with. For all her faults and her fears, Buffy was an easy girl to love.

"These are my friends, Mom." Anakin said, trying to break the tension.

"We met them at Watto's." Buffy added helpfully.

From the back of the group, Artoo let out a friendly whistle and beep.

Jar Jar made a small bow and said. "Haddo."

"I am Qui-Gon Jinn." The Jedi Master said, stepping forwards his hands in his robe, he gave Shmi a traditional bow in the Jedi style.

Anakin's mind was already on the friend's he'd brought home. "Come on!" He said, a grin splitting his face as he grabbed Padme's hand. "I'm building a droid! You wanna see?"

Qui-Gon turned to Shmi with a smile. "Your son was kind enough to offer us shelter."

"And my daughter?" Shmi cast a glance at Buffy. "Were you being hostile as usual?"

"Yes, Mama Bear." Buffy said, rolling her eyes.

The enthusiastic beep and whirl of Artoo was answer enough, together the three and Jar Jar disappeared in the direction of Anakin's room. Though that wasn't too far from the main living area.

Buffy watched them go with a rueful smile and shake of her head. She'd seen the pile of scraps and wires that Anakin called C3PO about a million times. _And I don't need to hear that blowhard speak again._ She shuddered at the memory of being cornered by Threepio, one three hour lecture on table settings and dinner manners was more than enough. Slowly, she moved across the room and took a seat at the table, resting her head on cool plastisteel. _Funny, I feel so exhausted._

Too much time spent babysitting Anakin had worn her out.

Inside his bedroom, Anakin pulled the cloth back off the skeletal body of C3PO. The machine was lying on his workbench, almost completely put together. It was just lacking a few of the key components that would make it a functional droid again. Anakin had already tested Threepio out on his sister, who afterwards swore that she never wanted anything to do with droids ever again. Anakin had sworn up and down that he would fix its personality. But in reality he hadn't worked on the programming at all. The truth was that Anakin liked Threepio, he believed this droid was going to be the perfect helper for his mother.

"See?" He looked up at Padme. "Isn't he great?" His beaming smile, made her respond with the same. "He's not finished yet though, I need a few more servos and some scrap plating to complete his body." He glanced up at Padme. "Buffy's been going through all the stuff that Watto throws out. She doesn't know what to look for really." His grin widened as he thought of the last time his sister had tried to perform manual repairs on a circuit board. The thing had sparked, melted, and caught fire, all at the same time. "She's what we Skywalkers like to call, tech toxic?"

"Tech toxic?" Padme asked. She wasn't surprised that Anakin had jumped to the topic of his sister. She'd noticed back at the shop that the two seemed very close. But the way Anakin described Buffy made her smile.

"Yeah." Anakin grinned. "She's toxic to tech. Buffy has a knack for breaking any complicated machinery she touches. I've been trying to teach her and she's sorta getting better." He looked back down at the body of Threepio. "But I'm not letting her near Threepio again until I've got his wiring protected."

"What happened?"

"She stuck a couple of circuits in the wrong place and made him dance some dance." Anakin said. "I didn't recognize it, but she said it was from her planet. It was called the…er…Macarena?" Anakin suppressed a shudder at the memory of his sister teaching Threepio the lyrics. "I kinda don't ever want to see Threepio shake his hips again."

Padme giggled. "I suppose you made him better?"

Anakin nodded. "Took me one standard month, but yeah, I did."

"Well, he's wonderful Ani." Padme told him. And it truly was, with each new revelation Padme was growing more and more stunned by how talented this child was. _And how horrifying it is that he's still a slave._ She could see now why Buffy ferociously guarded him, there was something lovable about Anakin. Something about his innocence, it had a certain charm to it.

Behind them, Artoo whirled in a appreciation.

"Like I said." Anakin smiled. "I built him to help Mom." He reached out and flicked on the power switch and brought C3PO to life.

Together with Padme and Artoo, Anakin laughed at the foolishness of his protocol droid and drank in the irrepressible mirth that came from watching him in action. In the quiet of the Sandstorm, Anakin told Padme all about his racer and his plans. They shared dreams as Padme told him stories of Naboo.

But when Artoo told Threepio that his parts were showing, the droid's demand for clothes ended all rational discussion, leaving them in giggles.

**AN:** That's chapter five for you, neatly cleaned and pressed. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. I only hope that it gets better.

Rember feedback=love


	7. Chapter 6: Setting a Course

Chapter Six: Setting a Course

In the late night, as the Sandstorm continued to rage around the Nubian starship, Obi-wan Kenobi stood on ceremony with the Queen Amidala and her court to listen to the message sent from the besieged planet of Naboo. Obi-wan already knew that the message would be a call for assistance and that hearing it would be hard on the Queen. Still, he was determined to stand firmly by Qui-Gon's orders, no matter what the transmission contained.

Together with the Queen, two of her Handmaidens, and Captain Panchaka, Obi-wan sat in the throne room and listened to the holographic transmission.

"The death toll is catastrophic…"

As the wind howled outside the ship, a tall, blue figure appeared before the Court. His shape flickering in the light and his robes disappearing before they touched the floor, Governor Sio Bibble stood dressed in his traditional robes of office and courtly finery. His ancient face was haggard and more lined than it had been when Queen Amidala first escaped, he looked tired and frightened; perhaps he was fearful for his life or the lives of the people of Naboo.

"We must bow to their wishes, you must contact me!"

Sio Bibble was a portly man, with dark steel gray hair that fell to his shoulders. He had a stately manner that held firm, even when he was at his most desperate. Holding himself upright before the Queen, clearly required a great act of strength on his part. He appeared to be keeping it together. But, any of the Naboo in the room who were his acquaintances, they could see the cracks in his armor and the terror outlining his eyes.

One thing was clear to Obi-wan: things were certainly not well on Naboo and it would do them no favors here. As the hologram winked out, Obi-wan stood.

"It's a trick." He said. "Send no reply, send no transmissions of any kind."

The first thing that Obi-wan did after leaving the ship's Council chamber was to contact his master Qui-Gon Jinn. The older and more experienced Jedi remained camped out in the Skywalkers' crowded home in Mos Espa.

Standing at the very edge of the stone window, furthest away from any household activities, this was where Qui-Gon set up his base camp. In the ship's cockpit, Obi-wan played back Sio Bibble's message for his master. After listening very carefully to the relayed transmission, his methodical mind slowly garnering all the possibilities, Qui-Gon responded.

"It sounds like bait," he said. "To establish a connection trace."

"What if it is true?" Obi-wan asked. "And the people are dying."

He was conflicted about the message himself. It was the sacred duty of the Jedi to protect all life, no matter the cost. That was his duty. In the darkness of the cabin, Obi-wan was bathed in a bloody light. His doubts about the safety of the Naboo people gnawing away at his conscience as he spoke to Qui-Gon, he was unsure of how to put them at ease. _I can only do my duty._

There was a pause as Qui-Gon considered his suggestion. He could feel the weight of those possible deaths weighing just as heavily upon his master. That was a small comfort to Obi-Wan, though it was not a great one.

After a moment, Qui-Gon spoke. "Well," he said. "Either way, we're running out of time."

***

Far across the galaxy, evil nestled itself deep in the heart of the Galactic Capital.

Coruscant. An entire planet covered by a single city. With towers that jut up towards the height of the atmosphere and endless rows of hover cars, buildings that are a thousand stories high. Always bustling, always busy from the upper city to the lower, darker, and more dangerous levels, the city never sleeps. Races of all kinds and from all places converge here at this center of the Universe. Families bring their children for testing at the Jedi Temple. The masses come to listen to speeches of the Senate. Tourism, the business that is always booming here, is followed closely by Trade, it's competing second.

In the dark of the night, two hooded forms rounded the corner of one of Coruscant's tallest towers. Their attire simple and hardly noticeable when placed against the menagerie of strange customs and over the top fashions that make this planet their home. The two speak in low voices, even though they have no fear of being overheard. The walkway is abandoned. And here among the bustling lives of six billion inhabitants, they have no fear of being discovered, not even by the vaunted senses of the Jedi Masters. Those who sit in Jedi Temple and dole out enlightenment, these two take pleasure in having their secret meeting not more than a hundred clicks away.

On Coruscant, the Sith walk freely.

The apprentice turns to the master and hears his orders. He is to go to Tatooine and track down the Queen Amidala. He must recapture her so that she may be forced to sign the treaty with the Trade Federation, legalizing the war. But the student must be wary, for two Jedi travel with the Queen and her entourage.

He must attack them first if he is to succeed.

***

By early morning, the sandstorm subsided. Once again, Tatooine is safe to explore, but only for those willing to risk life and limb. The ships grounded by the storm have resumed their nefarious business throughout the galaxy. Slaver, pirates, and smugglers once again resume their runs, carting their cargo, legal and illegal across the slipstreams of the galaxy. Mos Espa is abuzz again, this time in anticipation for the annual Podrace at Boonta Eve.

Pilots of all shapes and species are getting ready their Pods for the ride of their lives. And though it is a dangerous and death-defying sport, the prize money is worth it for some, the exhilaration for others. To come so close to the claws of death and escape unscathed, that is what all Podracers live for. The ride.

In the Skywalker home, Qui-Gon Jinn, Padme Naberrie, and Jar Jar Binks are treated to breakfast with the family. The topic has taken a serious turn in the discussion, for some it is a painful subject and for others simply a fact of life. But every member of the Skywalker clan longs to live without it.

The group sat around the small table, Qui-Gon at the head with Padme sitting opposite. Buffy was next to Jar Jar Binks and was studiously trying to avoid Qui-Gon's mild gaze, and if that wasn't distracting enough, her irritation with the Gungan's table manners were growing. Anakin sat across from her, at Padme's left hand. He was busily eating what was left of the breakfast Shmi had cooked. While the other's all seemed to have healthy appetites, Buffy had barely touched her food. Stabbing lazily at the remains of her scalt egg scramble with her fork.

_Ketchup, my ketchup, my kingdom for some ketchup_. Scalt eggs were mostly tasteless and not even Shmi's best herb seasonings could make them edible. Buffy already hadn't had much of an appetite, but when the topic turned to slavery she lost it all together.

"All slaves have a transmitter, placed inside they're body somewhere." Her mother was saying as she walked around the table, filling each cup back up with liquid.

"Yeah," Buffy sighed. "Watto traded my bling-bling collar in six standard months ago for that upgrade." If an upgrade was what one could call it. With the collar, she'd always stood a chance of getting it removed. When the chip had been implanted. _It was time to kiss dreams of freedom goodbye._

"I've been working on a scanner that could locate mine and Buffy's." Anakin said. His legs were swinging beneath the edge of his chair and he took another big bite of scalt egg scramble, following it up by belting down another cup of juice. "But so far I haven't had any luck."

"Because Watto gives us no time off." Buffy muttered. The prongs of her utensil popped the fluffy green balloon that had been wheezing off her eggs. _Oh, look Sam I am, green eggs and ham._ Dejectedly, she stabbed at her food again. "He's got me and Ani going round the clock. We never get a free period."

"Any attempt to escape—" Shmi began.

"And they blow you up!" Anakin finished. "Boom!" He smacked his hand down hard on the table, rocking the plates, and nearly upsetting the glasses of Jar Jar and Qui-Gon.

"How wude!" Jar Jar said. His eyes slid sideways towards Bufy and the plate-full of scatz eggs.

Seeing his tongue beginning to sneak out, the side of his mouth. Buffy levered her fork at his cheek. "Let's get something straight, pal." She growled. She didn't particularly want these eggs, but she would be damned if she let the Gungan steal them right off her plate. "These are my eggs. You no eetsa these-sa, comprende?"

She watched as Jar Jar gulped and took another long mouthful of liquid. He did his best not to look back at her. Buffy sucked in a deep breath and shut her eyes.

Today was one of those days where Buffy Summers Skywalker seriously missed high school. Even being the drag that it was, it'd been more fun than spending hours lugging one piece of junk across Watto's junkyard or scratching the rust off his equipment with bristle brushes and her fingernails. _Yeah, Giles was right. High school was the good old days._ Irritably, she stabbed her fork into the plate again.

"I can't believe there's still slavery in the galaxy." Padme said. She was looking back at Shmi with wide eyes.

"Yeah, well." Buffy grumbled. "I can say that if it wasn't for these chips, I'd've had my family out of here long ago."

"But the Republic's anti-slavery laws are—"

"The Republic doesn't exist out here." Shmi told Padme. "We must survive on our own."

"I doubt the Republic's good at policing it's own systems." Buffy mumbled.

She turned her head a fraction of a second to watch the Gungan's tongue shoot from his mouth and swallow the dried fruit they'd left out on the table. It disappeared in a flash. Buffy frowned. _He really doesn't have any manners._

Everyone at the table's heads turned to watch Jar Jar swallow. "Excuse me." He said and followed his words with a loud, obnoxious burp. Sheepishly, he glanced around the table.

Buffy's fingers tightened on her fork. For a moment around the table there was a quiet tension. Then, Anakin broke the silence.

"Has anyone seen a Podrace?" He asked. He glanced at Padme hopefully, but she just shook her head.

"Anakin." Buffy began.

"They have Podracing on Malistair." Qui-Gon said. "Very fast, very dangerous."

"Anakin." Buffy repeated.

She had a feeling where this was going. She glanced over at her mother, noting that Shmi's knuckles had gone white and the blood was draining out of her ears. _Mom doesn't like talking about this Anakin._ Buffy thought, her inner voice a low growl. _It upsets her._ And it upset Buffy too. The memory of Anakin's last crash often kept her up at night, her brain imagining all the different outcomes. _All the ways we might have lost him._ Buffy was not going to lose another person she loved. Not to a sport as foolish as Podracing.

"I'm the only human who can do it." Anakin said. There was a touch of bashful pride in his voice. Clearly he was trying to show off.

"You must have Jedi reflexes if you race Pods." Qui-Gon said.

As he spoke, Jar Jar's tongue flew out of his mouth, lightning quick. Having had enough, Buffy's hand snaked out, catching hold of Jar Jar's tongue between her thumb and forefinger. The tasty morsel his tongue had captured fell free of its sticky grip and tumbled to the floor. "How wude." She said and let it go.

"And so must your sister." Qui-Gon added quietly.

Buffy's gaze met his hooded one in a glower. She didn't like being reminded of the things she'd lost. _Being that fast makes me a Slayer, not a Jedi. SLAYER!_ Angel's face threatened to break through her concentration and it was swiftly followed by her mother's. Buffy could practically feel the heat of Joyce's anger blazing out through her eyes.

"_You walk out of this house, don't even think about coming back!"_

The words rang in her ears like it was yesterday. Pushing her plate away from her, Buffy stood. Tears burning within her lids, she fought to keep her face calm. She couldn't let them know anything was wrong.

"I'm done." She said in brusque, clipped tones. "Thanks for the food, Mama Bear." Standing, she walked away from the table and disappeared out the front door.

"Will she be all right?" Qui-Gon asked. He'd been a little disturbed by the strength of her emotions. _That they could be triggered so easily._ Especially with a comment most of the sentient galaxy would view as a compliment.

"Her life…" Shmi began. She glanced at Anakin. He didn't seem too bothered by Buffy's leaving. In fact, she'd noticed him growing slightly jealous when Buffy received the same observation from Qui-Gon that Anakin had. "It must have been very hard before she came to us."

"Where is she from?" He asked. "Do you know what system she was born in?"

"She doesn't speak of it." Shmi said, shaking her head. "And out of respect for her, I do not ask."

"There is much pain in her." Qui-Gon murmured. His eyes had not moved from where he'd watched Buffy exit, concern touched his dark irises. Qui-Gon was perplexed. "And anger, it seems to be on the verge of consuming her entirely."

"Are you a Jedi?" Anakin asked, suddenly.

Qui-Gon looked back at Anakin, his eyes calm and his motions unhurried. "Why do you think that?" He asked, taking another bite of scatz egg scramble. His eyes didn't leave Anakin's as the young boy stared at him earnestly.

"I saw your laser sword." Anakin said. "Only Jedi carry that kind of weapon and we never see them around here on Tatooine. Never."

"Ah," Qui-Gon smiled a half-smile. "Perhaps I killed a Jedi and took it from him." His mind was still troubled by the girl and he hoped she was not out doing something rash. But Anakin too was important and his trust must also be nurtured. Qui-Gon knew that Buffy could wait. _But not for much longer. Not if we are to have any hope of saving her._

"I don't believe you." Anakin said. He hit the table emphatically. "Nobody can kill a Jedi."

"I wish that were so." Qui-Gon said.

There was a touch of sadness in his voice, remorse for the comrades he'd watched fall. Spreading his senses farther, he felt the mind of Buffy Skywalker, she remained near and he wondered for a moment if she'd heard what the boy had said. If that sentiment too had struck a chord somewhere within her, she did not have the training of a Jedi, but Qui-Gon was certain that whatever abilities she was hiding, they were not to be underestimated. _But she is like a Corus gem, beautiful beyond imagining, but only after it has been polished._

Anakin too was like this, though Qui-Gon was certain that the surface of his potential had only just been scratched. _And he is more rough than his sister. But even without training they are already beginning to focus the Force into their actions. The boy with his podracing and the girl with her fighting._ If Qui-Gon was to find a way to begin their training, he was going to have to find another outlet for Buffy. Some other talent that she could use to reach the Force.

"I had a dream I was a Jedi." Anakin said. "I came back and freed all the slaves. And I dreamed that Buffy was a Jedi too, she was leading an attack on a huge tower and there were soldiers all behind her." Anakin closed his eyes. "I dream about Buffy a lot. Sometimes I see a world I've never seen and she's fighting disfigured humans with gigantic canines. Other times she's standing on the bridge of a battleship, staring out at the stars. I know that maybe she'll become a great general one day. I wake up sad from those and wonder if she'll leave me behind." Anakin took a deep breath and stared Qui-Gon square in the eye. "Sometimes when I see her, she and a dark haired man are fighting each other with vibroblades inside a strange looking mansion. I've seen her at a Temple with a thousand crystal fountains and she's teaching a little boy how to use his laser sword. But I remember her on a battleship bridge the clearest. And, anyway it doesn't matter what the vision is, every time I see her, she always looks lonely." He blinked at Qui-Gon. "Do you think she dreams about me?"

"I would say that is a question you must ask her."

"Are you here to free us?" Anakin asked. He stared at Qui-Gon intently.

"Anakin!" His mother breathed in exasperation.

Qui-Gon merely smiled and leaned forwards, his forearms resting on the table. He took a deep breath and exhaled a soft sigh. He truly was growing fond of this boy. "I can see there's no fooling you, Anakin." If the boy had already progressed to seeing visions in the Force, then it was imperative that Qui-Gon discover some way to send him for training. _And the girl too, whatever the Council says she must be trained._ "We're on our way to Coruscant, the central system of the Republic on a very important mission."

"Then what kicked your sorry butts all the way out here to the Outer Rim?" Every head rose as Buffy walked back inside. Her face was a bit grimier and hid a vortex of swirling emotions. She had it under control now. Barely. _I'm not going to lash out._ But she also refused to run away. _I'm not going to hide from this Qui-Gon Jinn._

"Our ship was damaged." Padme said. She looked up at Buffy and then at Anakin, pretending that it was he who had asked the question. "And we're stranded here until we can get the parts we need for repairs."

Anakin looked from one face to the other. "I can help." He said brightly. "I can fix anything!" He glanced up at Buffy. "But you can't come anywhere near the ship while I'm working!"

"I know, I know." Buffy sighed. "I'm tech toxic." She wasn't really in the mood for forcing laughter, she was too tired from struggling with her emotions. _Every time that memory surfaces, the urge to fight grows stronger._ To fight more opponents, face tougher weapons, to line herself up for a suicide. She glanced from Padme to Qui-Gon. "I promise." She said. "Cross my heart and hope to die, I won't break your ship."

"I doubt you could anyway." Qui-Gon said with a dismissive wave. "It's already broken."

"Yeah, but she could sabotage the systems that still work." Anakin laughed. "Can't you Buffy? You did it with Threepio, remember?"

"Yeah, I'm the number one jynx." Buffy smiled. She waved her hands and wiggled her fingers in the air. "I'm tech toxic. Boogedy, boogedy, boogedy!"

"But I can fix it!" Anakin repeated. "I can fix anything! Anything at all!"

"I believe you can." Qui-Gon said with a fond chuckle. "But first we must acquire the parts we need."

"We no got no moolah to trade." Jar Jar told Anakin.

"These junk dealers must have a weakness of some kind." Padme mused as she glanced around the table.

"They do have one." Buffy said. She glanced at Shmi with a smirk. "Take it away, Mom."

"Gambling." Shmi said, with a glance at Padme. "Everything around here revolves around betting on those awful races."

"Podracing." Qui-Gon said thoughtfully as he leaned forward on his elbows. "Greed can be a powerful ally."

"It's certainly Watto's ally." Buffy said. "He uses those races to swindle half the betters in Mos Espa." Everyone's eyes snapped up to stare at her in surprise. "I said it before," Buffy sighed. "Watto sends me to shake down the guys who owe him." She shrugged. "And those Podraces keep me busy and him in the dough."

"You'd think that if he had that much money, he could afford better equipment." Qui-Gon said.

"Well, he's a cheapskate." Buffy snorted. "And the Hutts take a sizeable amount of the creds. Watto just has me scooping up whatever's left over."

"I built a racer," Anakin said. "It's the fastest ever! There's this big race tomorrow in Boonta Eve. You could enter my Pod."

"Anakin!" Both Buffy and Shmi said at the same time, in the same tone. Buffy glanced at her mother apologetically and dropped her eyes, letting Mama Bear take it away with common sense. Neither of them wanted to see Anakin back in a Pod. "Watto won't let you."

"And even if he did." Buffy said, her voice sharp. "I won't. You nearly died last time, Ani. I'm not letting you put your life on the line again!"

"But Watto doesn't know I built it!" Anakin said. He turned towards the Jedi Master. "You could enter it as your Pod and convince him to let me pilot it for you!"

"Anakin!" Buffy exclaimed.

"I don't want you to race, it's awful." Shmi said. "I die every time Watto makes you do it."

"And I for one want to keep Mom with us and among the living." Buffy said. "And I want to keep you that way too, Ani!"

"But Mom, Buffy, I love it." Anakin said. "And the prize money would more than pay for the parts they need."

"Anakin." Shmi sighed.

"You're such a big poonta head!" Buffy snapped. "A fuzzy brained little nerf herder!"

"Your mother and your sister are right." Qui-Gon said. He looked across the table at Shmi. "Is there anyone friendly to the Republic who can help us?"

Slowly, Shmi shook her head. "No." She said, her voice soft and regretful.

"Mom," Anakin began. "You say the biggest problem in this universe is that nobody helps each other. I mean, where would Buffy be if we hadn't agreed to take her in and show her the ropes." He looked back over his shoulder at Buffy. "And I know you're worried about me, but you gotta remember what helping people was like!"

Heavily, both women sighed.

"I'm sure Qui-Gon doesn't want to put your son in danger." Padme said. She didn't like this plan, not one bit. She didn't agree with using this innocent boy to help them get what they needed, especially if he was getting nothing for it in return. "We'll find some other way."

"There isn't one." Buffy said. She stared down at Anakin ruefully, knowing that she had no choice but to give in, not when he'd levered morality against her. _The fate of the world, huh?_ She thought, her mind reaching back towards darker memories but before they could surface, Buffy shook them away. "This all there is."

Shmi nodded. She looked at her daughter with warm regard and gently reached out to take her hand, securing her fingers between Buffy's own. She was glad that they were going to face this united as a family, against whatever was going to come their way. Shmi, like Buffy, knew that Anakin would not be able to do this without their support. "You are a strong woman, my daughter." Shmi said in a low voice as she patted Buffy's hand. "And a good one, with a good heart."

"That's not true, Mom." Buffy said, shifting from foot to foot, her ears burning with embarrassment.

"We may not like it." Shmi said. "But Anakin can help you, he was meant to help you."

_There are no coincidences._ Qui-Gon thought as he looked at young Anakin Skywalker and then up at his sister Buffy. _No coincidences at all._ The Force had brought them all together, now it was his turn to take the ball. Failure was no longer an option.

_May the Force be with us._

**AN: **Remember to feed the poor lowly writer who brings you this story with some reviews. Telling me what you think about it and what you like always brightens my day.

Thanks!


	8. Chapter 7: The Responsibility of Jedi

**Chapter Seven: The Responsibility of Jedi**

In the heat of Tatooine's twin moons, Buffy Summers Skywalker sat very still. From her perch on a large boulder, she could see her younger brother, Anakin working on his Pod with their new friends. Friends, she supposed, was the operative word. Allies probably would have been a better term, even if it were one she was skeptical of. What it came down to was the same thing it always came to, Buffy Summers was all-alone. _But that's the way the cookie crumbles._

Silently, Buffy's fingers moved to her throat and slid down to her collarbone. Beneath her itchy, fashion defunct, oatmeal colored robes there was an empty space. The silver necklace she'd worn for nearly two years was gone, missing, _stolen_. Watto had taken it, along with her clothes, and whatever else she'd been carrying on her person. _It wasn't much anyway, and Watto's probably melted it down for scrap metal by now._ Silver didn't have much value in this new galaxy.

_Hard to imagine that just a year ago I was preparing for finals and getting ready to face the fight of my life._ Buffy sort of wished she'd learned if she'd failed all her courses or just one or two. _I definitely failed French, there's no way around it, I am French sucky._ A small smile touched her lips as she remembered all the work Willow had put into getting her to pass those classes. _And then I had to go and disappear._ Buffy sucked in a deep breath as, for the first time that day, the cheerful face of Willow Rosenberg swam in her vision. Dark red hair framed her soft oval face, a bright smile spread from ear to ear and she was holding out her hand. It was like she was waving.

"_Buffy! Buffy! Look what I can do!"_

Tucking her knees up beneath her chin, Buffy shut her lids over dark green eyes and moistened her crusty lips with a flick of her tongue. _Don't think about it._ She thought, her mental voice angry. _You have to forget! You're never getting back, you have to forget._ She was going to be stuck here, beneath Tatooine's hellish suns for the rest of her natural life. _Shaking down the guys to cheap to pay their debts 'till Watto loses me in a bet._ Then she'd have to kiss her new family goodbye.

_Why can't Anakin see that he has to be careful?_ She wondered. He was down there, nearly twenty feet from her, working on his Pod. _He's so excited about that race at Boonta Eve._ Anakin had a good heart, he always focused on doing the right thing, even if it got him nothing. _He's a better person than me._ And Buffy had devoted herself this past year to protecting that innocence, that optimism. _I don't wan to see him lose it._ Even though she knew that one day he would eventually have to. _Just like I did the night I saw my first vampire._ Her fate had been sealed then. _I had a purpose, a destiny, and a reason for living._ No matter how much she'd resented and hated it. _I made some kind of stupid peace with the fact that I'd be fighting these battles until some lucky vamp or demon killed me. I didn't believe I'd have a future, go to college, get married, have kids._ Do the things that normal teenagers did. _Now, it's all gone._

The bloody Slayer destiny had been ripped out of her future and left her with… _Nothing._

Buffy opened her eyes and looked out, seeing Jar Jar Binks stumbling around the side of the Pod, clumsily trying to enact repairs. Buffy was stuck up here, out of her little brother's way. It was one of his rules. _Stay twenty feet away from any Anakin project._ So, you know, she couldn't screw it up with her tech toxic touch. A wane smile touched Buffy's dry lips as she wrapped her arms around her knees and tugged them against her chest more tightly. Nothing she could say would convince Anakin not to participate in the Boonta Eve race tomorrow._ I gave him my support._ Her mother had been right, Buffy could feel it in the buzzing at the back of her mind. Trying to stop Anakin would be like standing in front of an avalanche and waving her arms. She would only be overrun by the snow and left crushed beneath it. _I've gotta ride the storm._ And be there for Anakin, to try and protect him from the likes of Sebulba.

She had to. It was all she could do.

Buffy hated feeling so helpless.

***

Aboard the Naboo starship, Obi-wan Kenobi was experiencing his own feelings of helplessness.

"What if this plan fails, master?" Obi-wan asked into his comm. "We could be stuck here a very long time."

His tone of voice suggested how displeased he was at Qui-Gon's decision to barter the ship in Anakin's Podrace. If they failed here, it would likely be the end of their mission and any chance that they had to deliver their message to the Jedi Council, to get help to the Naboo people and free them from the Trade Federation's shackles.

Perhaps even more frustratingly for Obi-wan, it would leave him unable to complete his search for the irritation the Force wished him to find. _Be mindful of your thoughts, you idiot Padawan._ Obi-wan repeated, nearly shutting his eyes and reverting into a Jedi's deep breathing meditations. He tried to let his insecurities and worries float away, to place his trust in the will of the Living Force, the way Qui-Gon had taught him. It helped some, but still, Obi-wan's mind rejected the calming influences.

_I cannot deny the fact that I am worried._ Obi-wan thought. _But I also must accept that there is nothing I can do at present._ His only choice was to wait, so wait he would. _What the Force wishes me to find will still be they're after this mission._ Perhaps then he could speak to his master and seek Qui-Gon's permission to seek it. _If there is a lesson the Force wishes me to learn, then learn it I must. But now is neither the time nor the place._ For starters, he had no means to look and secondly, he would not betray Qui-Gon's trust and faith with rash actions which would compromise the mission. He would not.

"Well, it's too dangerous to call for help." Qui-Gon replied. "And a ship without a power supply isn't going to get us anywhere."

The Jedi Master stood behind a backdrop of dark clay walls, their shapes undulating with the rooftops as he looked out towards where Anakin was working on his Pod. From where he stood in Mos Espa's slave compound, Qui-Gon could see the wisps of blond hair and the back of the young Buffy Skywalker. When the two were close together, he could feel the strength of the Force between them, could witness the way it swirled around them, both signs and symbols of a great destiny. The kind that got Jedi Masters excited. But Qui-Gon also remembered the words of an old Jedi named Jolee Bindo from the time of the Madalorian Wars.

_"…Sometimes swirling Force is just swirling Force. It gets all us old Jedi excited at our age so we go 'Oooo, destiny!'"_

Qui-Gon knew that he would have to be mindful of greater wisdom, Bindo's words were a warning that while these two had been clearly marked by the Force, that he could not yet foresee what their destinies would be. Qui-Gon believed he had an inkling, but it was too soon to be sure. _But together or apart they are important and require further study._ At the very least a midi-chlorian count.

"And," he said to his Padawan. "There's something about these two children, this boy and girl."

On the other end, he felt Obi-wan open his mouth to answer, but Qui-Gon clicked off his commlink and put it away in his belt pouch. He turned, in time to see Shmi Skywalker emerge from the inside of the family's small hut. Qui-Gon watched her approach, a gentle smile on her lips. With his keen powers of Jedi observation, he could sense curiosity in her and hope for her children. Qui-Gon himself hoped that she could tell him more about the two young children and whether or not she had seen them display any unusual abilities.

"You should be very proud of your son." He said. "He gives without any thought of reward."

"Well," Shmi replied. "He knows nothing of greed. My daughter…" The older woman paused. "She often wishes to protect him from the world." A small and even warmer smile spread across Shmi's wrinkled face. "It is difficult sometimes, I think, to watch her work so hard to protect us. She knows to well the face of corruption and I…"

"You would protect them from it, if you could."

"Yes." Shmi nodded. "She takes too much upon herself. It drives her to a darker place. She does not let Anakin see that face, but I have and I fear for her." She closed her eyes, a weary sorrow becoming evident in the weathered crags of her cheeks and in the lines on her forehead. "They…"

"They have special powers." Qui-Gon finished for her.

Shmi looked up at him in surprise and, again, nodded. "Yes."

"They both, they can see things before they happen." Qui-Gon continued. "That's why they both appear to have such quick reflexes. Anakin, when he flies Pods and Buffy when she fights. It's a Jedi trait."

"I have often believed that Buffy comes from a race of humanoids with greater speed and strength than the average man." Shmi replied, her voice soft. She wanted, in her own way, to share with Qui-Gon her own thoughts about her daughter. Deep in her heart, she felt that he could help her, even if Buffy was unwilling. "But I do not know what star she comes from." She inclined her head slightly to the Jedi Master. "Still, I know there is truth in what you say. I have felt for some time now, that her abilities go beyond something as simple as physical gifts."

"I have felt that myself." Qui-Gon admitted, thinking back to the way she'd caught Jar Jar's tongue.

From the way she moved, he could see that she had some martial training, but how far that had extended he was unaware. _And there is the way that she cries out into the Force._ He kept the casual smile on his lips as his mind delved more deeply into contemplation. _There is a strength of mind there, one that though untrained is already reaching. I have no doubt that she already touches the Force, but how, why, and to what purpose I must find out._ She was doing so with more ease than Anakin and that made him wonder if she did indeed have some sort of Jedi training. _But her inability to control her anger._ That would have to be dealt with. _Somehow, I must find a way to set them free._

"They deserve better than a slave's life." Shmi said.

Her voice was sad as she looked out at her children. Anakin, with the help of Jar Jar Binks, Padme Naberrie, and Threepio was busy at work on his racer. Buffy was watching the way she always did, but Shmi wondered if today her mind was elsewhere. "I'm afraid that Buffy has already given up hope at finding a way to freedom." Shmi's mind returned to Buffy's single attempt at escape and how the damage had lain her up for a month long coma. Shmi had been forced to trade what little they had for bacta pads to heal her flesh from the electrical burns.

She remained thankful that Watto had not felt it necessary to blow her daughter to pieces. After that, Buffy had not tried to escape again. Instead, she had focused all her energy on protecting Anakin and doing the jobs that Watto set before her. But despite her cheerfulness, Shmi had not been fooled. Buffy's failure had broken something in her and ripped a little more away from the remains of her spirit. _She did not have much left when she first arrived with us._ And such a healing had not lain in Shmi's power, but she did the best she could with what they had. _Buffy is mysterious but she is a good daughter._

"Had they both been born in the Republic, we would have identified them early." Qui-Gon said. "And taken them for training." He glanced down at Shmi, willing to divulge to her, what he had suspected from the beginning, a suspicion that was steadily growing closer and closer to confirmation. "The Force is unusually strong with both of them, that much is certain." He paused and glanced down at Shmi. "I know that you may not know the names of Buffy's parents, I do not know if she has ever spoken of them."

Shmi gave a quick shake of her head. "She never speaks of the place she came from." Shmi said in a gentle voice, one that held a note of great sorrow. "Sometimes, though it is not often, I hear her crying in her bed. But it is only when she thinks no one can hear her. I have often assumed that whatever led to her bondage has caused her great trauma."

"But you felt that she would speak of it herself in time." Qui-Gon nodded. "But what of Anakin? Who was his father?"

A strange expression crossed Shmi's face as she looked out at the back of her son. Finally, she said. "There was no father." It was an odd memory, but one that caused her much joy, discovering on that long ago day that she was pregnant. Shmi trusted the Jedi Master, implicitly feeling no need to lie to him. Perhaps, with the truth of Anakin's parentage revealed, this Qui-Gon Jinn would feel more strongly about doing something to help her family. Help that Shmi desperately knew it needed. "I carried him, I gave birth, I raised him, I can't explain what happened." She shook her head. "Like I can't explain Buffy coming to us, though I know now that we needed her." She looked up at Qui-Gon with a sincere and knowing expression in her dark eyes. "Just as I know that you will need her, need them both." There was another quiet pause as Qui-Gon nodded. "Can you help them?"

"I don't know." Qui-Gon admitted. A Jedi never made promises unless they were absolutely sure they could keep it. _A Jedi's word must never be in doubt._ Qui-Gon knew. _How else can it be trusted?_ Jedi were renowned for their honesty and though Qui-Gon greatly wished that he could give this woman something more concrete, he knew that he could not. It was not in his way to give false hope to those who already had so little. "I didn't actually come here to free slaves."

***

Later that evening, Buffy sat on the rooftop of the slave compound. She kept her attention focused on the sky, but her ears were sharply attuned to the conversation that was going on below. In the darkness, the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn was sitting with her little brother Anakin Skywalker and the two were engaged in deep talks. Though Buffy suspected that the man meant no harm to little Ani, Buffy was still unwilling to let them spend too much time alone.

_After all, intentions aside, he could hurt Anakin just by leaving._ Buffy knew the pain of losing someone she'd grown to care deeply about. _And Ani's setting himself up to lose three in a single day._

With the Boonta Eve race on the morrow, Buffy knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep. She was too nervous about what would happen. _And if Ani will survive…_ Tears pinched the edges of her eyes and Buffy hurriedly brushed them away, she'd decided a long time ago not to cry. _It's just a waste of moisture anyway._ But the thought of losing Anakin after already having lost so much. Willow, Xander, Giles, her mother, Kendra, and Angel…

"_First blood."_ She could see Angelus' face grinning in front of her eyes, taunting her. _"I'll drag you down to hell with me, my love. Let's enjoy our torment together, forever."_ She could hear his laughter on the wind. _"It'll be fun, you see. When I steal sweet little Anakin from you, when I suck the life force from his veins. Then, you'll be all alone my love. Then, it'll just be you and me."_

"_Buffy, I love you."_

She swallowed. It was hard to imagine that the same voice could bring her so much joy and so much agony. Her fingers moved to where she'd always worn her cross, the emptiness that was there was deafening. _It's gone forever._ Just like her life before this. Just like her Slayerness. Just like her mission. Gone. But not forgotten.

She fought the urge to bury her face into her knees. How long would it take for her to forget?

Below her, Qui-Gon Jinn attended to a cut on Anakin's arm. As always, he was finding the boy a joy to be with. Anakin's mind was alive with innocent possibilities and his dreams were huge with vast goals. Qui-Gon didn't know whether or not Anakin would be able to achieve his dreams, but nonetheless he wished the boy the best. The stars had captured Anakin's eyes and as Qui-Gon cleaned his cut, the boy pestered the Jedi Master with questions.

"There's so many," Anakin said. "Do they all have a system of planets?"

"Most of them." Qui-Gon said with a mild smile.

"Has anyone been to 'em all?"

"Hmm," the Jedi chuckled. "Not likely."

"Then, I want to be the first one to see 'em all." Anakin grinned. "And then I'll find Buffy's home system, and I'll get her back to her first family." For a moment, his face fell. The thought of being separated from Buffy was painful. It was like the idea of losing his arm. His sister was one of the people he loved most in the entire world and the idea of living without her hurt. _But I know it'd make Buffy happy if I could find her way home._ He doubted that Buffy had the ability to find her way home on her own. _She'd probably blow up any starship soon as she touched the controls!_ A small chuckle bubbled against the back of his throat. Then, he looked at the Jedi Master. "Do you think I will?"

"I have no doubt of it, Anakin." Qui-Gon replied.

From inside, the voice of Shmi echoed. "Ani!" She called. "Time for bed!"

It was at that same moment that Qui-Gon took a sample of blood from Anakin's vein.

"Ow!" Anakin exclaimed.

"There," Qui-Gon smiled. "Good as new."

Above them, Buffy watched with sharp eyes. _What did he just do?_ She wondered, her fingers tightening on the rocks. Her green eyes narrowing in the darkness as she observed the Jedi like vornskr waiting to pounce. _I'm gonna confront the wascally wabbit!_ Maybe then, she'd get some straight answers about why he seemed so interested in her little brother. _But not in front of Anakin._ No, she didn't want her brother to think that her dislike of their guests went anything above healthy suspicion. _I don't want him to think anything's wrong._ Not with that race at Boonta Eve looming on the morrow. _He needs to focus on that._ That was why Buffy was here, she could take care of any threats to her family.

"Ani!" Shmi called. "I'm not going to tell you again!"

"What are you doing?" Anakin asked. He leaned forward, the Jedi's actions not going unnoticed.

_Yeah, mister Jedi or whatever you are, what are you doing?_ Buffy didn't know much about these people called Jedi and she was sure that Xander could have told her. _Strike one for not paying more attention to geek knowledge._ If he'd ever come across a galaxy like this one during his strange studies of all things nerdy. _I just know that they inspire Anakin's imagination._ She'd heard the same rumors, but Buffy was a pragmatist. She didn't believe half the information. _If not all of it's a load of bull. Flights of fancy for dreamer's minds, not for the likes of me._

"Just checking your blood for infection." Qui-Gon replied.

_Right._ Buffy thought, moving to a crouch above them. _Like that's all your doing._ Her nostrils flared as the skin of her nose wrinkled in disbelief. _I wasn't born yesterday._

"Go on." Qui-Gon told Anakin. "You have a big day tomorrow."

Anakin nodded slowly and then sighed heavily. "Yeah," he grumbled. "You're right." He glanced up at the rooftop and waved. "Night, Buffy!" He called. "You heard Mom, don't stay up too late!"

A bit chagrined, Buffy leaned her head over the edge of the rooftop. "Kay, Ani." She replied with a smile. "You sleep tight."

"I will." Anakin said. And with those final words, he disappeared inside, leaving Buffy to face Qui-Gon alone.

There was a long moment of silence as the two gazed at one another, Buffy's filled with animosity and more than a little hostility, and the Jedi's was completely filled with knowing calm. Finally, it was Qui-Gon Jinn who broke the silence.

"I had a feeling I was being watched." He said.

His voice was tongue-in-cheek and filled with a mild sarcasm that nibbled at the edges of Buffy's perceptions. She was surprised by his reaction, expecting a lashing about not listening in on conversations that didn't concern her.

"Really?" She asked. _There's something weird about him._ Buffy thought, he didn't behave like a normal person. She couldn't pick up on any weaknesses in his voice or sense any kind of impatience. Only curiosity. "And what gave me away? Was it your wacky psychic perceptions or a feeling at the back of your Jedi skull? You some kind of guru?"

"If you are so interested in learning about this," Qui-Gon lifted the small silver cylinder between his fingers and held it up for her to see. "Come down and we will speak about it."

"I'm not interested in that." Buffy replied, slightly stung. "Seriously? Why in the galaxy would I care?"

"Because you want to know what it means for Anakin." Qui-Gon replied. Even in the darkness and the distant lights of Mos Espa, Buffy could see the small smile that was lingering on the older man's lips. "You're worried I intend to harm him."

"I think you've already done that." Buffy snapped. There was something about him that put her off balance, but try as she might, Buffy couldn't bring herself to just get up and walk away. "I'm just here for damage control."

"How will you do that with no knowledge of what I intend, Buffy Skywalker?"

"I don't need to know what you want." Buffy growled. "All I have to do is eliminate a threat."

"And you are sure that I am a threat?"

"I think…" Buffy paused. "I think that after you get what you need from him that you'll leave him. Then, he'll be stuck here and all he'll have are his dreams and what might have been."

"That is certainly one option." Qui-Gon agreed. He gazed up at Buffy Summers Skywalker with intense eyes, feeling for the first time how deep her cynicism lay. He pitied her for it. "But perhaps it is not the only one."

"It's the only one, I know." Buffy replied. Her voice low and deadly, with a hint of regret and sadness, something she was unable to keep out of her tone.

"Only someone who has been deeply wounded by life and," Qui-Gon paused, studying her again. "Perhaps those she loves would feel so. A person who has lived a hard life."

Buffy swung her legs over the edge of the smooth curve of the roof and let her bared feet hang in the open air. "Don't pretend you know me." She hissed. "You don't know me. You don't know anything about me, Anakin, or our lives here." She glared at Qui-Gon with harsh green eyes. "You don't know us."

"No." Qui-Gon sighed. "But I would like to and I would like to help you and your family if I can."

"If you can?" Buffy's voice mocked him in the darkness. "What good is can?"

"The best I can offer." He replied. "It is not the Jedi's way to make promises we cannot keep." He looked up at her again with his dark eyes, his senses intent on her. "But even so, I want to do what I can while I am here."

Qui-Gon knew he would do this girl no justice by lying to her. _In fact, I believe she has lived under too many lives._ Honesty was the only way to freedom and to earn Buffy Skywalker's trust, Qui-Gon would tell her only what he knew to be true. The girl was like a frightened delra from the planet Yoru, caution would be necessary and slow movements or she would flee. Earning her trust would be difficult, he knew but he also sensed that at the end of such a long road would be the reward of a true friend.

"Yeah?" She asked. "Tell me, oh, wise one, what could you possibly offer me?"

"The beginnings of healing." Qui-Gon replied. "I sense much pain in you. Pain so vast it feels as if you are drowning and so violent that you must struggle and claw to stay afloat." His dark eyes fixed on hers and inside he could feel her heart wince and her mind flinch from the truth. "It wakens you at night and you find yourself alone, with no one near you who can understand." He looked away from her for a moment and gazed out at the Dune Sea. "It is this sense of loss Buffy Skywalker that echoes out through the Force and drowns out the subtler voices that might speak to you."

"What are you saying?" Buffy asked.

Her voice was hesitant but the animosity remained. _How the hell does he know so much? How does he know?_ Had he been spying on her? Who had talked? _Did Mom tell him?_ Had Anakin? Who blabbed? _Oh, Ani's going to be in so much trouble!_ She thought. There was no way he could have picked all that up with a little mumbo jumbo and a wave of his hand. He couldn't have figured that out simply by looking! Could he?

"I am saying that you are in great pain." Qui-Gon replied. "And that it is a Jedi's responsibility to help those who are suffering."

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**A/N:** Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, you fill my heart with abundant amounts of overflowing joy. In fact, I was inspired to write this chapter, just for you. So, keep telling me what you like about the story and what you don't. I'll never be able to write Buffy and her choices as well as some of you would like, but that's the way it goes, yeah?

My first concern is always the story and I want to be fair to the Jedi and the world of Star Wars, just as much as I want to be fair to Buffy. That means Buffy won't always be right or get her way, but that also means that the Jedi won't always be right and get their way. But that's what makes a story interesting right? What fun would a story be if Buffy didn't learn anything?

Anyway, I hope you're looking forward to the next chapter as much as I'm looking forward to writing it! My mind has been filled with nothing but the Force for the past couple days and it was good to get it out.

Remember to review!


	9. Chapter 8: Midichlorian Geiger Counter

**Chapter Eight: Midi-chlorian Geiger Counter**

"You can't be serious!" Buffy snapped. "What are you supposed to be, huh? Some kind of galactic fairy godmother? Running about all over the place granting wishes and giving cookies to those in need? Give me a break, pal! I live in the real world."

She shook her head, her grimy straw blonde hair clinging to her high cheekbones and tickling her jaw. Her hair had grown longer during her year of captivity. Shoulder length when Buffy had arrived on the sands of the Dune Sea, it now swung down her back, the ends teasing the edges of her armpits. Any bangs or layering she might have had grew out and now the blonde mass on top of her head was just a mess. Not that she tried to control it. Buffy still cared about looks, but Watto kept her too busy to do anything about it.

"As I said before, young Skywalker." Qui-Gon said, his arms crossed contemplatively across his chest as he gazed at the scared, angry, and stubborn young woman. "I do what I can."

Wiping her cheeks, Buffy shoved her hair back behind her ears and leaned forward, her butt scraping against the rock. Her eyes narrowing as she glared at him. He'd hit a little close to home already and she wasn't about to let him get another lucky potshot.

"Well," she muttered. "Well, this conversations gotten off track." In her experience, you never got something for nothing. "This isn't about me." She added. "Or whatever the hell I'm going through. It's about Anakin and what you plan on doing with him." She pointed at the cylinder lost in the sleeves of his robes. "Why you took that." _And why you didn't tell him you were doing it._ Buffy hated liars. Hated them more than anything except the obviously evil. She was suspicious of this Qui-Gon and was sure that he was lying to her, in the same way that he had taken blood from Anakin without her little brother's knowledge.

"I disagree." Qui-Gon said with a slow shake of his head. "Your suffering also affects Anakin and those around you. The poison in your system will leak out to touch them, whether you will it to or not. Your mother already worries for you as do I. I have seen the darkness within you, Buffy. I want to help."

"For Anakin?" Buffy hazarded. "Because he's a special little wonder child?" When that thought made sense in her brain, she continued, finding her footing. She was sure that Qui-Gon was only concerned about Anakin, concerned about what effect she might have on him. _How that'll detract from his own influence. Well, you know what, he can suck it!_ Buffy wasn't going to let him drive a wedge between her and her brother. "I'm sticking by him!" She continued. "Whether you like it or not! And if it means I can protect Anakin from you, then I'll do it." She leveled a ferocious gaze at Qui-Gon. "No matter what it takes!"

"An interesting perspective." Qui-Gon smiled. "One that could only be created by a sharp and inquisitive mind. Perhaps it would even be a correct assessment had I any sort of designs on your brother." He tilted his head to the side. "Or you." In the darkness he sensed her startled flinch as she swung sideways and listened to the clicks of tumbling rock chips, ones her movements had shaken loose. "But I do not, Buffy. I merely sense something in your brother, something important." He lifted the medical cylinder for her to get a better view. Behind him, the lights of Mos Espa glittered. "I'm sure you've sensed as I have that your brother is special." Qui-Gon waited for her surprised nod. "But that does not blind me to the fact that you are also unique."

"There's nothing special about me." Buffy said.

Her voice was flat in the darkness and Qui-Gon listened to the sound of her shifting feet for a few moments. After several minutes of silence, Qui-Gon wondered if she'd gone. But his attuned senses warned him that she was still nearby and paid off when she dropped down out of the darkness, landing beside him. Her short stature drawn up to its full height as she lifted her chin, glaring at him, her emotions held in a tight throbbing knot behind her vibrant green eyes.

"Is that so?" Qui-Gon asked. He tilted his head to the side as he gazed at her.

"It is." Buffy snapped. "Whatever you're looking for I don't have it." She paused a moment as Anakin's face floated in her mind, but she shook it away. "I mean, Anakin might, but I don't. And even if he does," She glared at Qui-Gon. "There's nothing you can do for us anyway. You need parts for your ships and you don't have the money to buy us out of slavery."

"That's true." Qui-Gon replied. "But even the fact that you are owned by another does not stop you from being special." He gazed at her and then, on a whim, lifted his finger to bonk her on the forehead. "It merely keeps you from realizing it."

"There's nothing I can do about it."

"With that attitude you have already given up." Qui-Gon replied.

"I don't need your fortune cookie wisdom." Buffy said. "And I don't have what you're looking for."

"Then you lose nothing by allowing me to take a blood sample." Qui-Gon said.

"Other than letting you win at your nefarious scheme." Buffy responded.

"And is it so hard," Qui-Gon asked. "For you to let others win?"

Buffy thought about that for a second. _Yeah, cause the fate of the world was always hanging in the balance. Yeah, because I was the Slayer and if I wasn't right people died._ Buffy let out a dry chuckle and then, drawing back her sleeve, held out her arm. "Yeah, I do." She said. "Especially when my family's at stake."

"More than that." Qui-Gon replied. "Why don't we use this exercise as an experiment in honesty?"

"What?" Buffy asked. She was surprised. _I'm agreeing to let him take my blood. What more does he need?_

"If this proves me right," he continued. "That you are indeed special—"

"Maybe I am." Buffy said. For a moment her old cocky self was in the picture, ready to prove that she was right and he was wrong. _I don't have any of these powers he wants me to have._ No, everything she was came from what was left of her Slayer abilities. She wasn't like him. _Maybe Anakin is, but I'm not._ She couldn't be. "But probably not in the way you expect."

"I am expecting nothing." He countered. "But should this test prove that you are special, _in the way I believe you are_," he added, staring directly into her eyes as he took hold of her wrist. "Then, I want you to tell me about how it is you came to be here."

"What?" She asked.

Shock slipped into her tone and she almost yanked her arm away. _I've never told anybody about that!_ She'd never trusted anyone enough, never enough to tell them about having been a Slayer, about Earth, or about the battle with Angel. Not even her mother or Anakin. _And he wants me to tell him that? No way!_ But those weren't the words that came out of her mouth.

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you." She said.

"Then, that will be for me to discover."

"You're not going to find anything anyway."

"Then, it will be my loss."

"Fine!" Buffy growled. "If you find whatever it is you're looking for, then I'll tell you the whole big story about how I came to Tatooine! Okay?"

"Then the agreement has been made." Qui-Gon said.

"You're not going to find anything." Buffy repeated as the small cylinder grew closer to her skin. "Seriously, you're wasting your time."

"Perhaps, I see something of value in you." Qui-Gon told her. "Despite whatever feelings you have towards yourself. Whatever happens, young Skywalker, I will not count the time we've spent together as wasted." He poked the end of the blood sampler into her vein. "This will hurt for a moment."

"Can't be that bad." Then, there was a hissing pop as the little pen-sized machine jabbed its pointers into her. It hurt, worse than any shot she'd ever had, and Buffy bit back a yelp. "Felt worse." She said, pulling her arm away from him. "So, what are you looking for?"

"A moment." Qui-Gon held up a finger as he took a seat on the railing before the Skywalker hut. Lifting his commlink from his pocket, he switched it on. "Obi-wan?"

Buffy felt a jolt shiver through her as she heard the name. She wasn't sure why. _I feel like I should know it or that I'm going to know it. But that's all crazy talky! And no matter what futuristic stuff he pulls, he can't convince me that I've got what he's looking for._ Or that whoever he was talking to was important. "Who?"

"I need an analysis of the two blood samples I'm sending."

"Wait a minute." Came the reply.

At the sound of his voice, Buffy shivered. She felt a pull, a strong one, and the need to know whom exactly this other young man was. Plopping down next to Qui-Gon and crossing her arms over her chest, Buffy glanced over at the much older man. Her gaze examining the lines on his face and found herself getting even more frustrated by his implacable expression.

_Seriously? Does this guy have any emotions?_ Or were Jedi just some kind of Androids running about the galaxy. _With no ability to think or feel. Like, I don't know, Terminators or something?_ Except they seemed more peaceful than Terminators and no one was afraid of them. Not really. Not that Buffy counted that as a reason not to keep an eye on them. _The more you trust someone, the more likely they are to stab you in the back._

She kept the people she was sure of close at hand. _Mom and Anakin._ They were the only two people whom she was convinced would never betray her. But nobody else received the same amount of trust. _And I even keep myself distant from them._ Mostly because Buffy didn't want to deal with the fallout of her past.

"I need a midi-cholrian count." Qui-Gon said after a moment.

"Midi-chlorian?" Buffy asked. She glanced at the Jedi. "What the heck is a midi-chlorian?"

It sounded like something stupid, like a rock band, or a slug. _And what would they be doing in my blood?_ More importantly, what were they doing in Anakin's? _What does it mean if he has them?_ Were they this galaxies version of a killer virus? Would it be something that turned him evil? _I'm not going to slay my own brother!_ She snapped at herself as the impulse began to rise. _I won't!_ Anakin was a good person. _And he's gonna stay that way!_ No matter what having these midi-chlorian thingies meant.

"I'll explain in a moment." Qui-Gon reassured her as he stuck the data for both Anakin's blood sample and Buffy's into the commlink and transmitted them. There was a beep at the top of his comm and then one on the receiving end. "Take a look at the boy's first."

"His name is Anakin." Buffy muttered through gritted teeth. "Anakin not boy."

"Bringing up the boy's, Master." Came Obi-wan's voice, it crackled through the speaker. "Displaying it now."

"And?" For the first time, Buffy thought that the Jedi looked impatient.

"The readings are off the chart." Obi-wan responded, his voice was filled with surprise and not even his Jedi training could suppress it. "Over twenty thousand, even Master Yoda doesn't have a midi-chlorian count that high."

There was a pause as Qui-Gon nodded. "No, Jedi has."

"Again," Buffy began. "Anybody want to explain what this mumbo jumbo means?"

"I appreciate your patience, Buffy." Qui-Gon said. "Hopefully soon I'll be able to give you the answers you seek." He turned back to the commlink. "Obi-wan, could you bring up the second blood test?"

"There's no way I have these midi-chlori-whatsists in my blood." Buffy snapped. "There's just no way!"

Obi-wan was still trapped beneath the realization that they'd just discovered someone with more Force potential than anyone in the Jedi Order, including all of it's most distinguished Masters. "What does that mean?" He asked.

"I don't know." Qui-Gon admitted to his Padawan and then, he cast a glance at the impatient Buffy Summers Skywalker. "But would you please bring up the second test."

"All right." Obi-wan said. "But I doubt we can expect something as ground breaking."

"We'll see."

Another several minutes past and Buffy found herself glaring intently at the comm unit in Qui-Gon's hands. She knew that he had to be wrong. Buffy wasn't sure why she knew, but she knew he did. He had to be. _I was a Slayer and that's all I was. Just a Slayer._ There was no way she could possibly be anything else. _I knew my job description. What I was supposed to do. Hunt down and destroy evil. Protect the world, one girl in all the world, yadda yadda yadda_. There was nothing more, just that.

"Master?" Obi-wan's voice crackled back through the commlink, this time his voice was full of surprise. "There must be some mistake."

"See!" Buffy sneered. "Told ya!"

"What is it Obi-wan?"

"This blood sample you sent me..." Obi-wan trailed off. "The midi-chlorian count is also high. Very high. I mean, not as high as the first, but it is quite… high."

"What is the exact number, Obi-wan?"

"Thirteen thousand, Master."

"A reasonable number," Qui-Gon replied. "Considering the company she was found in." He glanced at Buffy and gave her a slow wink.

Buffy felt her back stiffen suddenly, irritated. So, he was right all along was he? Was he gonna gloat? _Or is he gonna let me live it down?_ So, he was right? So, what? That still didn't mean anything. _Except that I agreed to tell him how I got here and that I've got the same little thingies roaming my blood that Anakin does. Is there any way to get them out?_ She glanced at Qui-Gon. _Probably not._

"So?" She glared at Qui-Gon as he put away his commlink and glanced at the door. She followed his gaze and saw her mother standing there. Shmi gave them a soft, worried glance and then disappeared back into the house. _Mom?_ Buffy wondered. _Did you know all along?_

"That'll be enough for tonight." Qui-Gon said. "We have another long day ahead of us."

"Fine." So, he was going to play that game was he? All that talk about healing and he didn't even want to hear about her problems. _Got me all worked up for nothing._ It felt like a let down. "Just tell me what a Midi-thingies does and I'll go to bed." She stared at him intently. "Or don't you know, vaunted wisdom man?"

Qui-Gon smiled. "Midi-chlorians, my inquisitive young friend, are microscopic life forms that reside within all living cells."

"Okay, I must have skipped that week in biology." Buffy said, rolling her eyes. "But I think I got it. You're saying some little life form is living inside of me?" Qui-Gon nodded, the smile still firmly planted on his lips. If he was in anyway irritated by Buffy's disbelief, he didn't show it. "Get out!" Buffy laughed. "You're saying I'm sharing my body with these midi-thingies? Well, I say no way!"

"The test young Obi-wan performed counted them in your blood." Qui-Gon pointed out, his voice still passive. "Thirteen thousand are there, living inside you as others live in me. We are symbionts with them, life forms living together for mutual advantage."

"I didn't skip that lesson." Buffy sighed. "I know what symbiosis means." She looked up at him. "What I don't get is why these mid-what sit-thing-a-ma-bob cells have to do with me and Anakin. All we've got is a high Geiger count."

"Counting midi-chlorians gives us insight into a youngling's potential. How strong they may grow as a Jedi." Qui-Gon sucked in a deep, gentle, healing breath and exhaled slowly, his dark eyes on Buffy's face. "You see Buffy, without midi-chlorians, life could not exist and we would have no knowledge of the Force. They continually speak to us, telling us the will of the Force. When you learn to quiet your mind, you'll hear them speaking to you."

"Right," Buffy said. "So, these little critty critters running around my bloodstream are telling me the will of the Force thing? They speak to me in my head," she tapped her skull. "And tell me what to do. Don't you think that sorta sounds more like a mental illness than some all powerful…" She trailed off. "Thing?"

"The Force, my young and skeptical friend, is an energy field created by all living things." Qui-Gon spread his hands, a warm smile touching his lips as he allowed the Force to flow through him. "It surrounds us," gently, he reached out to touch Buffy's mind and the screaming wound there. "It penetrates us,"

Buffy shivered as she felt something alien touch her, immediately she wanted to fight it off but found that it was not entirely unfriendly. It was comforting, like she was surrounded by warmth from every direction. It was a strange contrast to the overpowering head of Tatooine's suns. For the first time since coming to this strange and alien galaxy, Buffy Summers Skywalker felt… _safe_.

"It binds the galaxy together." Qui-Gon finished. "You do not hear it yet, Buffy Skywalker. But with time and training, you will."

"And who's gonna give me that training?" Buffy asked. The warmth had shaken her and as it melted away, she felt a hole develop. She wanted it back. _Maybe he does sorta know what he's talking about._ "You?"

"Perhaps." He said. "Perhaps not. All I've done is opened a path up before you, it will be your decision whether or not you step onto it." He bowed his head to Buffy. "But I believe there has been enough discussion for one night, young Skywalker. We will continue this another time."

"When?" Buffy challenged.

"When the moment presents itself." Qui-Gon replied. "Good night, my young friend."

With those words, he disappeared into the house, leaving Buffy alone in the night with her own thoughts. Her feelings were tugging at the back of her mind and though she wanted to deny it, Buffy couldn't convince herself that he'd been lying.

What if he was telling the truth? What would that mean for her? What would it mean for Anakin? _And does it even matter?_

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**AN: **Remember, if you want more lovely chapters, you need to review.


	10. Chapter 9: Making a Bet

**Chapter Nine: Making the Bet**

A dark ship shot out of hyperspace, gliding through space as it headed for the yellow planet below. All around it, the stars shone brightly, their systems beckoning with the music of adventure. The pilot and subsequently the ship ignored these dances, mind entirely focused on the task at hand, keeping his darkness masked in the Force. To succeed in his mission, he needed to remain undetected. He was an assassin, moving shapeless and formless in the Force, his powers dwelling on darker instincts and he had no desire but to perform the tasks given to him by his Master.

The ship cut cleanly through the atmosphere. It's long nose gliding down away from the spaceport and towards the outer edge of the city. A shadow still loomed across the face of Mos Espa and the twin suns of Tatooine had yet to rise, leaving the early morning clouded in gloom. It was the perfect entrance for the likes of him.

His mind was focused only on the hunt. A dark force, he stepped out upon the Tatooine sands, ready to prepare his trap.

***

Far away, in Mos Espa's slave compound, Buffy Summers Skywalker woke with a start. She sat up, rubbing her forehead and trying to clear the gummy feeling from her eyes. The dry air was murder on her skin, making it rough like sandpaper. Shoving her hair out of her eyes, Buffy kicked her legs over the edge of her bed and glanced out the small circular hole in the wall. Despite its size, she was forced to call it a window.

She peered out into the gloom of the desert's early morning and tilted her ears to listen to the rhythmic sounds of inhalation and exhalation. _Everyone's still sleeping._ She thought, suppressing a groan. The lack of lighting outside told her that it was already ungodly early. _So much for getting to sleep in._

Shaking her head, she checked the clock. Staring at the number as it clicked into place, she suppressed another sigh and pushed herself out of bed. There was a strange feeling at the back of her mind, troubling. _Like there's something dark out there, coming for us._ Some dark future that awaited. Buffy, shook her head again. _I'm being silly._

She pushed herself out of bed. _So, what to choose? Oatmeal colored robe with patches or oatmeal colored robe with holes?_ Her nose wrinkling at the choices presented, Buffy snatched the first top she saw up off the floor and pulled it over her shift. She followed it up with a matching set of pants and hard brown boots. Brushing the sand out of the folds of her clothing, Buffy wondered how much longer she'd have to beg before Anakin got the Refresher working again. _What I'd give for a real, working shower!_ But somehow Buffy doubted that showers existed in this galaxy. _And if they do, not on Tatooine._ A planet where every drop of moisture was valuable.

Her eyes swung up towards the distance again as she slid a ronto hide belt around her waist. There was something out there.

"Probably just my own paranoia." She chastised herself, slipping out of her bedroom. "Nothing important."

"_When you learn to quiet your mind, you'll hear them speaking to you."_

The voice of Qui-Gon Jinn slid into her thoughts uninvited, lending a greater sense of importance to her hunch. Frowning, Buffy tried to swat away his words. "There are no, little symbi-thingies living in my bloodstream and letting my listen in on the words of some all powerful Force." She grumbled, trying to distance herself further from last night's conversation and the bargain she'd made with the Jedi. "No way, no how, nuh-uh."

_You've heard plenty of crazy things._ Her mind suggested. _Just because you're lost in a strange galaxy with no way home…_

_I don't know that for sure!_ Buffy snapped back.

_Doesn't mean it's outside the realm of possibility._ The other voice finished. Buffy hated it when she let herself play Devil's Advocate, she almost always came out worse for wear. _Are midi-chlorians any stranger than a person being born a Slayer?_

_YES!_ Buffy's mind exploded. _Yes! Yes! Yes! At least being a Slayer was something I could understand!_

_But not in the beginning._

_Shut up._

_You didn't believe it then too._ Her mind continued. _You tried so hard to get out of it._

_Shut up!_

_And then it killed you._

_You know what? I'm not listening to you, I mean me, anymore. I'm sticking my fingers in my ears and going la-la-la-la-la-LA!_

Shoving her thoughts and the war they were creating back out of her consciousness, Buffy took a deep breath. Her eyes scanned the small living room for signs of life and saw the astro-droid, Artoo sitting in the corner. Collapsed on the table was the face of Jar Jar Binks and in the corner, with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed was the source of all her current irritation. _Stupid Jedi, stupid Qui-Gon, stupid Jinn._ She sucked in another deep breath. She hated, absolutely hated admitting it, but the man reminded her of Giles.

_Okay, maybe not a lot. But he's got that same kinda stuffy know-it-all air about him…_ No, he really didn't. _Well, maybe not, but he seems to know everything!_ Or thought he did and the fact that he was so calm literally drove Buffy up a wall.

_Okay, calm the thoughts Buffy, chill out, cool down, and don't think of England._ Despite her best efforts, Giles' face was swimming in front of her. His face beaten and bloody from hours of endless torture at the hands of Angelus. The look he'd given her then, before she'd gone to face her vampire lover, well, she'd never forgotten it. He'd looked so glad to see her. _And so willing to die._ She paused, realizing that her hands were shaking. _Stop it, Buffy. Bad Buffy. Keep your mind on the moment, in the here, don't go to the there, there's nothing good there, stay here._

Feeling the onslaught of memories beginning to wrap their fingers about her throat, Buffy drew on every memory of Anakin and Shmi that she had. In this situation, even Watto would work. _Please,_ her mind whispered. _I don't want to go back there, please…_

"_Hello, lover."_

Buffy stumbled outside into the darkness, the insides of her eyes growing hot and moist with tears. She heard the door swing shut behind her, but couldn't bring herself to care. If people woke up then they woke up, she had more pressing things on her mind. _Mainly the ghosts of old boyfriends who don't know damn well enough to leave me alone!_ When was his specter going to stop torturing her?

Buffy came to a stop as her fingers hit the rough rocky surface of the barrier protecting the unwary from going over the edge. "Not that it really matters…" She muttered, squeezing her eyes shut and fighting to keep the tears inside. "A two story fall isn't going to kill me." Well, it'd do some damage if she landed wrong.

_But that's all._ She felt her knees hit the ground hard, felt the granules of sand grinding against the skin of her knees. _I wish I could die._ She thought, her mind wide and open with despair. _I wish I could find someone strong enough to kill me!_ Maybe then the voices would stop. Maybe then.

"_It is a Jedi's responsibility to help those who are suffering." _ Qui-Gon's voice again resounded through her mind. _"It is the duty of a Jedi to heal what is broken."_

"You can't help me, stupid-wacko-wisdom man." Buffy hissed. "Nobody can!"

"_The darkness of despair is not absolute."_ His voice continued. _"If you'll allow it, I will show you a way into the light."_

"He never even said that." She groaned. "He wasn't offering me anything. He was just…" In her chest, her heart seized. _Figuring me out._ Did he really want to help her? _Or is it just another trick?_

"Buffy?" The high pitch of Anakin's voice caught in her ears. "What are you doing up?"

"Ani?" She asked, spinning around and staring down at her little brother, their straw hair matching each other, dimmed by dust and grime. "Why are you awake?" She blinked and added with a wink. "Jinx! You owe me a cup of Juma Juice!"

"You always win the jinx." Anakin complained. He sighed loudly and crossed his arms over his chest, peering up at her with suspicion. "And I was doing a last minute check on my Pod before we take it to Boonta Eve. You weren't planning on touching it were you?"

"No!" Buffy said, lifting her hands up. "Scouts honor, Ani! I just couldn't sleep!"

"Right." Anakin said. He pursed his lips. "I'm sorry Buffy, I know you don't mean it. But… I really like Master Qui-Gon and Padme and Jar Jar and Artoo, I don't think they mean us any harm."

"I wish I could think the same, Ani." Buffy sighed. "I do."

"You should just give 'em a chance." He said, a grin splitting his cherub cheeks. "I think they'll surprise you. You know?"

For a moment, Buffy thought back to the conversation she and Qui-Gon had about midi-chlorians, wondering if she should tell Anakin about it. _No use getting his hopes up._ What was the use of telling him he had Force potential or whatever if he was never going to learn to use it? Even from first impressions, Buffy was forced to admit that, out of all the strangers, Qui-Gon wasn't what she expected. _I mean, hello! He's more frustrating than Giles!_

"They've already surprised me, Ani." She murmured. _I just don't know if it's in a good and tingly kind of way._

"By the way," Anakin's grin widened as he looked up at her. "I had a dream last night! I'm gonna win the Podrace at Boonta Eve!" He looked out at the desert and added in a soft voice. "Then maybe our lives'll change."

Quietly, Buffy put her arms around her little brother and pulled him to her. Hugging him tightly, she kissed the top of his head, feeling the wetness of Anakin's tears as they dripped onto the rough fabric of her robe. "I hope so, Ani." She whispered, looking out at the rising Tatooine suns. "I hope so."

***

Many hours later at the racing track called Boonta Eve, Qui-Gon Jinn walked down a central lane between the Pods. Watto floated at his side and Jar Jar Binks trailed along behind them. During the previous night, Qui-Gon's mind had been turning and turning, looking for a way that he might free the Skywalker family from slavery. He had sat deep in a meditative trance, searching the Force for some insight that might help him achieve that goal. He was certain that the Force had placed the boy and the girl in his path. It was no coincidence that he had found two very strong force-sensitives, one who might just be the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy and tone destined to bring balance to the Force.

_Which does not make the girl any less special._ Qui-Gon reminded himself. _Or any less in need of training._ If the previous night had proved anything, it was that her rudimentary powers were already beginning to break through. _And without the proper guidance, she could easily fall to the Dark Side._ No, Qui-Gon would not leave this planet caught beneath the heel of one with her potential. He did not know her destiny, but like Anakin he knew that she must be taught.

Over the buzz of machinery and sparking panels being upgraded by mechanics, Watto was speaking to him.

"I want to see your ship as soon as the race is over." He chuckled, his small body waddling through the air as his wings buzzed desperately to keep the paunch of his stomach aloft and his body with it.

"Patience my blue friend." Qui-Gon said. "You'll have your winnings before the suns set and we'll be far away from here."

Irritated, Watto swung around to face the Jedi, poking his stick underneath Qui-Gon's nose. "No if your ship belongs to _me_, I think, ahh?" Watto chuckled as they turned the corner. "I warn you, ehh." He said. "No funny business."

"You don't think Anakin can win?" Qui-Gon asked, his hands on his hips.

"Don't getta me wrong." Watto said. "I have, ah, great faith in the boy. He's a credit to your race, ehh? But Sebulba there is going to win, I think." Watto's staff indicated to the left, where Sebulba, the Dug who had nearly taken Jar Jar apart, sat getting a rub down from two very attractive blue skinned Twi'lek females.

"Oh, no!" Jar Jar exclaimed as he stared down at the Dug, memory of his close encounter fresh in his mind. Worriedly, he turned back to Qui-Gon, chewing on the edges of his fingers. It was a distinctly human expression, one that Jar Jar had picked up during his time with the Queen's Handmaidens and Anakin. His large yellow eyes wide and his slit pupils focused only on Qui-Gon's face.

But the Jedi Master remained calm as a cucumber, staring down Watto with mild eyes and expression. "Why do you think that?"

"He always wins!" Laughed Watto. He swung around between the human and the Gungan, his head bumping into Jar Jar's back and shoving him sideways. He spread his arms wide with the expression of a Toydarian surety, Watto was certain that he would be making a lot of money today. An experienced gambler, he knew how high the odds were stacked against Anakin and he knew a sure thing when he saw it. "I am betting heavily on Sebulba!" Toydarian's were not known for taking chances.

"I'll take that bet." Qui-Gon said, giving Sebulba a once over and turning to face Watto. He crossed his arms beneath the squared length of his robe, settling back into a comfortable Jedi stance.

"You what?" Watto turned around, his voice suddenly low and dangerous.

Toydarian's always took betting seriously and Watto did not like surprises. He had spent too many years on the Boonta Eve Racing tracks to like change. The more deals that this man made, the more unsure Watto was of his own bets. Perhaps this stranger knew something that Watto didn't. No, most likely he was a fool's fool. He put too much faith in the boy. After all, the child had never finished a race!

"I wager my new racing Pod against, say, the Skywalker family?"

"No Pod is worth three slaves!" Watto snapped. "And even if yours is as fast as you say, it would not even be worth two!"

"Just the boy and the girl, then?" Qui-Gon asked. "From what I've seen the girl does little around the shop and she is more of a burden on you. Hardly worth a high price."

"Ah, ha-ha, but she is useful in taking what I owe from those, ehhh, not quite so generous, ahh?" The Toydarian chuckled. "What would your Pod trade me for that?"

"But is the money she claims for you worth what she loses?" Qui-Gon asked. His eyebrows rising with the suggestion and his mind calm with the knowledge that he would have to manage this deal without the help of the Force. Mind tricks had already proven useless on the Toydarian. "I have heard talk around the town about the fights she finds herself in. The Hutts are always forcing you to pick up the tab."

"Ah-ha, you make'a a good point outlander." The Toydarian agreed. "She is in the business of costing me more than what I paid." Reaching into his belt, he pulled out a small cube. "And if you keep being so reckless with your bets, there's a chance I could end up owning you, ehh?" He chuckled. "I have here a chance cube here."

He showed Qui-Gon the blue and red painted die. The paint was worn and peeling from its participation in many previous bargains. It was weighted on the red side and had a greater chance of landing there. It was illegal, but Watto was certain that the Outlander would not know the difference. He'd already gambled away his chances to escape off world and now he was throwing away his only chance at earning it back. He was easily hoodwinked. Watto knew he could not lose this bet.

"We'll let fate decide dis, ehhh." He said, a large toothy grin spreading from underneath his elephant nose. "Since I like you, I'll be generous. We make a double wager on chance, ehh?" He held up the cube. "Blue you get the boy and the girl. Red, their mother."

Slowly, Qui-Gon nodded agreement to the terms. Knowing that Watto was going to cheat, Qui-Gon had his own trick up his sleeve. The Force was with him and as it flowed through him, Qui-Gon watched Watto toss the cube. Sliding his hand to the side, undetectable to the average eye, looking more like hopeful than cheating, Qui-Gon watched the cube bounce across the ground. Slowly, it came to a stop. For a moment it had looked like red but had ended with blue facing upwards.

Anger burned in the Toydarian's eyes as Jar Jar grinned at him. "You may have won the small toss, outlander!" He spat. "But you won't win the race, so it makes little difference!" Then, in an angry buzz of wing flaps he spun and headed out past the arriving group, taking a moment to gloat at Anakin and Buffy in his own dialect before disappearing out into the sunlight.

"What do you think that's about?" Anakin asked Buffy, glancing at her with wide blue eyes.

"I dunno." Buffy replied. She'd barely caught any of what he'd said. _Something about slavery right?_ Or had it been pasta? The old buzzard was a big fan of Tomaran noodles and he liked it soaked in juices with chunks of Bantha meat. _But why talk about after race dinners?_ She wondered. Certainly neither she nor Ani would be tasting that. _Not that I want too! Ugh! That stuff always smells so gross!_

Standing beside the pair of long nosed Eopie, Buffy shared a worried glance with Padme over Anakin's head. The beasts made her think of a camel crossed with an elephant, either way the creatures looked horribly wrong. _Useful as they are for lifting, carrying, and traveling._ Though they only had room for two and Buffy had given her space to Padme, so that her mother could ride with Anakin's young friend Kickster. Her sharp eyes caught the Jedi as he walked towards them, his sabaac face still unreadable.

_What are you up too?_ Buffy wanted to ask. Instead, though she headed off towards the Pod. _Mind on Ani's race. Then these strangers will be gone and our lives will once again be business as usual._ Buffy closed her eyes. That was what she wanted, business as usual.

Behind her, she heard Kickster speak. "This is soooo wizard, Ani!" He said, his voice barely able to contain his excitement. "I'm sure you'll do it this time."

Buffy turned around as she heard Padme ask. "Do what?"

_Oh, no! Kickster you little rat!_ Buffy's mind groaned. _Don't tell them that!_

But Kickster's mouth was already moving, far too quickly for it to be stopped. He was staring at the beautiful young Handmaiden like she was the biggest idiot on the planet. "Finish the race of course."

Padme stared at Kickster, her soft, liquid brown eyes filled with incredulity. "You've never won a race?" She asked. _Qui-Gon is insane!_ Padme thought. _Pinning all our hopes on this boy. What if he fails?_ What would happen to them then?

"Kickster, shut your pie hole!" Buffy snapped. "Ani doesn't need to think about that!" She turned to face her brother. "You'll do it this time, Ani." She said, her voice filled with conviction. At least, she hoped it sounded like conviction. She had her own doubts on the subject. _But I can't let Anakin know_. "That's all that matters."

Anakin, whose face had fallen for a fraction brightened. "Yeah, you're right Buffy." He said, another charming smile spreading across his features. "I'll finish this time!"

"No." Buffy said. "You'll win this time." Brother and sister smiled at each other.

"Of course you will." Qui-Gon said from behind them, his hands coming to rest on Anakin's shoulders, a warm smile touching his mouth. It was partially hidden by his moustache and beard, but still Buffy could feel it's brilliant confidence. His strength of belief made her feel foolish for not having more faith in her brother.

_I'm a bad sister._ Buffy thought, gazing at the pair of them.

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**A/N:** This chapter is done and out of the way. Man, I'm on a roll, lol. Anyway, next up is the Race! Be sure to leave your reviews! As always I love hearing what you think!


	11. Chapter 10: The Race

**Chapter Ten: The Race**

The hour of the Boonta Eve race arrived with glorious fanfare. The stands around the track were filled to the brim, with species of all shapes and sizes converging on Tatooine from across the Outer Rim. Today was the day of the Boonta Eve Classic, a race that landed on a holiday celebrated by those who made the galaxy's furthest edge their home. The some of the greatest Podracers in the galaxy had come to test their mettle on the Dune Sea's sands at Mos Espa' Grand Arena. Their names and Pods being sung out in both Basic and Huttese by a two-headed announcer, Fodesinbeed Annodue a Troig in the service of Jabba the Hutt. Each name brought cheers from the crowds, growing and growing in a swell until Anakin's name was called. His name bringing forth a mighty eruption one only slightly less deafening than what the crowd gave his arch-nemesis Sebulba.

As the standard bearers for each team marched out across the track, each piece of cloth flapping wildly in the wind. Their faces each marked with the team's logo. Shmi knelt before her son and put her hands on each of his arms.

"Be safe." She said. Her gentle voice soft but still carrying over the roaring of the crowd. After a moment of gazing intently into the eyes of her son, she pulled him into a rough hug. Then, she let him go.

"I will." Anakin said, earnestly staring back. "I promise."

"Good to hear! We wouldn't want to see you getting overly confident!" Buffy grinned. Slapping her little brother on the back, she gazed down at him. "Are you ready, champ?"

She knew that she was injecting the heartwarming atmosphere with a false sense of cheer, but Buffy couldn't help it. Despite her own feelings, she had to convince Anakin that she was on his side. That she believed in his ability as a racer. _This is the one time I can't help you, little brother._ She thought, her eyes growing sad behind him. _I wish I could be out there with you. I know Mom wishes she could too. I wish it was me doing this in your place._ But what could she really do? She couldn't race the Pod for him. She couldn't take on Sebulba.

"I'm ready, Buffy." Anakin said. He looked up at his sister with a big grin and then flung his arms tightly around her midsection. He pressed the warmth of his small body against hers and Buffy hugged him back tightly. "With all of you watching me, I feel like I can take on the world!" He looked up at Buffy again. "Now stand aside Toxic Tech! I gotta get this thing up and running!"

Buffy gave him a mock salute. "Yessir!"

Then, Anakin unhooked himself and ran off to finish putting fuel into his Pod. Buffy watched him go, her arms crossing over her chest, and bit her lower lip. Silently, Shmi laid a gentle hand on her daughter's shoulder. "He'll be alright, won't he?" Buffy asked, glancing up at her mother.

"All we can do is have faith in him. Now, we cannot interfere." After sharing those words of wisdom, Shmi moved off towards the rest of the group.

Buffy nodded, watching her brother prep his Pod. Her sharp eyes following the movements of Sebulba as he came out from between the two large turbines of Anakin's Pod. His swinging stride came to a stop in front of her brother and she watched as the two exchanged words. Her brow tightened and the line of her mouth hardened. _I swear, sleamo, you hurt my little Ani and this time I'll turn you into fish paste!_ She wanted to say that, but she knew her mother was right. From here on out it would be up to Anakin and Buffy couldn't interfere. And it bugged her to no end!

"Ready, Ani?" Qui-Gon asked Anakin, coming up to his side as Sebulba stalked away.

"Yup!" Anakin grinned.

For a moment, he looked away from the Pod and up to see his sister watching him, a worried expression covering her face. _Don't worry, Buffy!_ He thought. _I'm gonna be fine!_ His sister was in the habit of worrying too much. Anakin understood why, but mostly he felt that it was unnecessary. _She loves me._ He thought. _And I'm gonna make her and Mom proud!_

"All right." Qui-Gon said. As he lifted Anakin into the cockpit, Qui-Gon knew that now would be as good a time as any for a Jedi lesson. _After all, if this doesn't work, it may be the boy's last chance._ That or Obi-wan would become very irritated watching Qui-Gon help two more strays. Keeping his private amusement to himself, the Jedi Master focused his attentions on the boy. As Anakin settled into the cockpit, Qui-Gon picked up his helmet and leaned in close. "Remember," he said. "You must trust in the moment, feel don't think, use your instincts."

Anakin looked up at Qui-Gon, feeling in the back of his mind that this race would be different, he nodded and said gravely. "I will."

"Then may the Force be with you." Qui-Gon said, handing Anakin his helmet and gave him a parting pat on the head. Then, he turned away, leaving Anakin to it and headed towards the boy's nervous sister. "Shall we go?" He asked Buffy as he approached.

The girl looked up at him with wide eyes. "Huh?"

"He will be fine, trust and have faith in him." Qui-Gon said. "The Force will take care of the rest."

"Easier than it sounds." Buffy said sourly, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "Where was your vaunted Force when Anakin crashed all those other times."

Qui-Gon chuckled and gently put his hand on Buffy's shoulder, leading her away from Anakin and the Pod. "Have faith, my jaded friend." He said. "Imagine only him winning and see what happens."

"That's your big advice?" Buffy asked. "Think good thoughts and see what happens? Man, they totally need to revoke your guru license." Still, she followed him. In her heart, Buffy knew she could do nothing for Anakin while on the floor of the Arena. She could only watch his progress as he made his way around the track. _I don't even really want to watch._ But what choice did she have? Silently, she followed Qui-Gon into their skybox, the Gungan close on her heels.

"Is he nervous?" Shmi asked them.

"He's fine." Qui-Gon replied, his voice as calm and collected as ever.

"Looked okay to me." Buffy chimed in. "More confident than last time."

"Last time?" Padme asked, her eyes full of worry.

"Last time he crashed." Buffy said. She cast a glance at her mother and feeling the older woman's glower, lowered her voice. "It's a rough story. Let's not repeat past misdeeds and jinx him, huh?"

"Yes…" Padme murmured, turning away from Buffy and rounding on Qui-Gon. "You Jedi are far too reckless!" She growled, her entire body stiff with anger and worry. "The Queen is not…"

"The Queen trusts my judgement, young Handmaiden." Qui-Gon cut in, bending down from his greater height to gaze straight into the younger woman's eyes. "So should you."

"Woah, smack down on line one!" Buffy muttered. She turned away from the Jedi and the Handmaiden, her eyes on Anakin's Pod. "Wouldn't want to be her." Her fingers tightened around the edge of the box as the small circle was lifted into the sky. "Or him." She caught sight of Jabba lifting his arms before the crowd. "Ladies, aliens, and germs," Buffy whispered, her knuckles going white as she craned her head over the edge of the platform. "Start your engines."

Below, the thrum of turbines filled the air as the Pods lifted off the ground. Anakin fixed his goggles over his eyes, checking the Pod's systems as they came up on his monitor.

"Oh!" Jar Jar said from beside Buffy, covering bulging stalk eyes with his hands. "This sa gonna be messy!"

Buffy ignored him, leaning intensely over the edge of the platform, her fingers digging into the metal. _Come on, Anakin!_ Buffy's thoughts whispered as her head hung out in the open air. Looking down at the specks beneath her toes, Buffy felt her stomach lurch. She'd had no problems with heights when she was a slayer and was perfectly capable of bouncing from rooftop to rooftop without a thought or care in the world.

_But that's all behind me._ Buffy thought. _Even the skyscrapers on earth, even them, they never made me feel like I was gonna lose my lunch._ She swallowed, feeling her stomach grumble. _Wow._ Buffy's fingers tightened in realization, the durasteel plating cutting into her flesh. _Been eating so well these past few days I almost forgot the feeling of hungry._ That was new.

She tore her eyes away from Anakin for a few moments to search that of Qui-Gon Jinn but his attention was completely focused below on the race and he didn't seem to notice her inquiry. _Well, I'll be demon plus alien plus Jedi Jedi damned._ She thought. _Kark it!_ The guy had actually done something positive for Buffy and her family. _Maybe I was wrong about him. Maybe._ Buffy doubted that in the extreme.

Her thoughts about the Jedi were taken from her when, in a sputtering of light and sound the turbines of the Pods began to twirl and the flaps began to wave in the heat of the air.

The announcer shouted, "Start your engines!"

And everyone was off, except Anakin.

"Come on, Anakin!" Buffy shouted not realizing how desperate her voice sounded. _Come on, pateesa! You gotta do this! You gotta prove them all wrong!_ Her thoughts whirred through her brain and she didn't even feel Qui-Gon coming up behind her.

"I knew this was going to happen." Padme muttered under her breath. "I knew it! You're little brother is going to cost us the race! Our ship! The only chance we have to get off this rotten sandy rock and save my people!"

"Kark it! You wermo schutta!" Buffy snarled.

She could feel her anger rising in her gut, twisting it into white-hot knots as her fist tightened. She knew how much Anakin liked and admired Padme, knew how big his crush was on the young woman from Naboo. _But I can't like her._ Not if she talked about Anakin like that.

"Buffy!" Shmi exclaimed. She glanced at her daughter in surprise. This was no place for that sort of language. _Where did she learn it? Spending too much time around the spacers in the cantinas._ Buffy was usually so careful about keeping her tongue in check when with her family. _But Ani isn't here to over hear her._ Shmi supposed that made all the diference.

In surprise, Padme took a step backwards. In all her years on Naboo, she'd never been exposed to this kind of language before. Still, while she didn't speak Huttese, she knew the implications of what the other girl had just said. Her cheeks flamed red and her back stiffened.

"Now see here!" Padme began. "I will not be spoken to like that—"

"Oh yes, you karking will!" Buffy growled. "Especially if you're going to talk that way about my little brother!" Her sun tanned hand curled into a tight fist as she faced off against the younger woman. "Ani's a good kid! He's doing this for you! And you know what! Your indifference makes you a no good, worthless, space scum schutta! Sleemo!" She paused, a little confused by the amount of foreign language bursting off her tongue. "Sleemo!"

"You're nuts!"

"And you deserve a karking good punch in the face!" Buffy hissed. "One hard enough to send your ugly ass into the upper atmosphere!" She paused again. "Actually,' Buffy said, tilting her head thoughtfully to the side. "That sounds like a good idea." She lifted her arm. "Let's try it!"

"Buffy, stop this!" Shmi said. She moved to her daughter's side, her warm hand tightening on her shoulder. "They are good people, merely lost and frightened, afraid that they may not return home." She looked into her daughter's face, even though Buffy did not turn to face her. "You must not condemn her for that." A single finger rose to trace Buffy's cheek and tuck a small strand of loose blonde hair back behind her ear. "Remember," she said in a low voice that over the roaring crowd only Buffy could hear. "Not so long ago, you were not that different."

In surprise and a little ashamed, Buffy glanced at Shmi, her green eyes wide. "I'm sorry, Mom." She said. But deep down, she didn't feel sorry at all. Just empty. No, she was filled with righteous anger.

"It is not I you must apologize to." Shmi said, her voice firm. Her pointed gaze led straight to Padme and Buffy swallowed.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

Buffy said the words stiffly, her back straight and her eyes on Padme's face. She wasn't about to back down to this polished aristocrat. _After all, once I was a Slayer!_ Images, faces, and memories of laughter filled her mind, touching her heart. Buffy turned away, hiding her face as she stared out at the monotonous landscape of sand dunes and pale blue sky. Emotion stabbed her heart and for a moment, Buffy felt tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. She shook her head. She wasn't weak. She wouldn't cry. _Tears are for losers._

She didn't notice Qui-Gon watching her impassively, his hands tucked into his sleeves and head tilted a little to the side. He wore a small, almost imperceptible smile on his lips. Now, he could feel where all this anger was coming from and knew how she might be healed.

"Perhaps," he said, voice insufferably calm. "It would be a poor time to mention that they are coming around again."

"No! Anakin!" The words exploded from Buffy's lips as she looked down at the track. A broken Pod in the middle of the track was an obvious and immediate death sentence. She searched the yellow sands for her brother, breath catching in her throat when she discovered he wasn't there. _Where is he?_

"What's going on?" Padme asked, voicing Buffy's thoughts.

"I believe our young friend solved his mechanical problems," Qui-Gon said. "But a few moments after the race began. Quite impressive for those who were watching."

Guilt rolled through Buffy's stomach as she glared at Qui-Gon, she got what he was suggesting. _I care about Ani._ She growled, crossing her arms pensively over her chest. _He's more important to me than anything in this world._ He and Shmi were the only family she had left. "Well," she said. "Anakin's an amazing kid."

"Indeed he is." Qui-Gon replied. His was voice completely level, calm, and empty of emotion. It was like he had no doubts at all about the outcome of the race.

_Jedi are weird._ Buffy thought. She wasn't about to admit that he unnerved her or that she found him strangely compelling. _I'm curious about him._ Buffy realized. _I don't know why, but I am._ She'd never felt this way about anyone or anything other than other Slayers. _Like Kendra. I was drawn to her too._ In too many ways it was the same. _I thought I could ignore it, but I can't._ _I want to know._ And that realization was perhaps the most confusing of all. _Who is this guy?_

"Where is he?" Padme asked.

"He sa made a major comeback!" Jar Jar exclaimed. His excitement was palpable. "He sa in second place! Here he comes! Ani!"

Buffy nodded as the Pods whizzed beneath them, a blur of movement in the hot sun. _I need to pay closer attention!_ She thought, angry with herself. _The race is almost over and I spent it all arguing! I'm a horrible sister!_

"At the end of the second lap, Sebulba's in the lead, followed closely by Skywalker!" The announcer cried.

"Go Ani!" Buffy yelled, her voice hoarse and cracked by the desert heat. "Go! Go! Go!" Buffy's eyes followed the blue and yellow paint job of Anakin's Pod as it rounded the corner beneath her. And then, as quickly as it had come, it was gone again. "Go!"

"Yay Ani!" Jar Jar cried.

Deep down, Buffy knew it was impossible for Anakin to hear her. _And stay safe._ Her heart whispered and she reached out, trying to touch him. _You can do it, pateesa! You can!_

Qui-Gon's hand brushed her shoulder and Buffy nearly jumped out of her skin.

"What?" She exclaimed, turning around. Seeing him standing there, his hands folded back beneath his robes, his face a wall of impenetrable calm, she swallowed. Rubbing her hands together and then linking them behind her, she glanced around. Padme, Jar Jar, and her mother were all standing around the viewscreen. Their eyes were intently following Anakin's Pod as it raced around the track. Apparently, they deemed this incredibly unimportant. Something Buffy could understand. "What's wrong with you?" She demanded. "I'm trying to watch a race here!"

"You want to help your brother." Qui-Gon said.

"Oh!" Roared the announcer. "Young Skywalker's been forced onto the service ramp!"

Buffy knew that was bad. "Yeah," she replied. "But that's impossible. He's out there and I'm up here. If I could kick Sebulba's whiney dug ass, I would." She frowned at him. "But I can't."

"When you are one with the Force," Qui-Gon said. "Nothing is impossible."

"Then why don't _you_ help him." Buffy snapped. "You're the great Master Jedi. You've got this Force on your side, you do it."

"I'm afraid that's not my place." Qui-Gon said. He had moved a step closer to Buffy, his brown gaze holding hers steady and Buffy felt her heart begin hammering in ears. "I am not the one who is bonded to him so strongly."

"You can't mean me!" Buffy growled. "I already told you, you and that Force of yours has got nothing to do with me! Nothing! I'm not special because of that, I'm special because I'm…" She trailed off. _A Slayer._

"For the moment young one, what you believe is irrelevant." Qui-Gon said. "The question is: do you wish to help your brother?"

"Yes!" Buffy hissed. "But I told you, there's nothing I can do!"

"You are limited by your beliefs of who you are." Qui-Gon replied. "In time you will learn to see beyond them. But for now," he took another step forward, resting his hands on Buffy's shoulders. He felt her stiffen reflexively beneath his touch and could feel the uneasiness flowing off of her. _She is truly a beacon in the Force._ And he was glad the Force had led him to her. _Instead of one who serves the Dark Side._ But those fears belonged to the past and future. For Qui-Gon Jinn there was only the now. "Close your eyes."

"Close my eyes?" Buffy asked, unable to keep the skepticism from her voice as he turned her around to face the track. She didn't struggle under his hold, instead she allowed him to lead her. It was a strange feeling.

"There is not much time." Qui-Gon reminded her.

"Fine." Buffy grumbled. "I'll play along." She let her eyes fall closed.

"Well done." Qui-Gon murmured into her ear and Buffy suddenly felt as if the two of them were alone. "Now let the other voices fall away as you clear your mind. There is only emptiness. There is only you."

"Okay."

Buffy did as he asked, though it was harder than she thought. Ideas and memories were trying to force their way back into the blackness, to shove her off her center. Still, she bit her lip, frowning. The exercise was similar to how Giles had explained meditation. She pushed Giles away, focusing as the Jedi said on the emptiness, on herself. _I don't want to see myself_. No, she was going to help Anakin. _Emptiness. There's only me. Just me. Alone._ She felt calm in the darkness, comfortable in the emptiness. It was strange.

"Done."

She heard the rumble of the Jedi Master's chuckle, he felt closer than he had been. "Good, Buffy." He said. "You learn quickly." Buffy tried not to let herself glow from the Jedi's compliment. "Now, I want you to feel, don't think. Reach out with your mind and focus on the thought of Anakin in his Pod. Imagine him making it across the finish line. Visualize him winning."

"This is just some kind of feel good exercise isn't it?" Buffy asked. There was no way that Anakin would win just from her thinking about it. "I thought you were going to show me how to help Anakin!"

"If you do not try," Qui-Gon said. "Then you will never know. And Anakin may never succeed."

"You are absolutely, without a doubt, grand spankin', darn tootin' nuts!" Buffy responded. Still, after taking a deep breath, she did what he said. _This is crazy._ She thought. _Anakin…_ Buffy felt her mind reaching out and she touched… something. _Anakin!_ She felt her entire body rock as if she'd just been struck. Her mind looked to the left and she saw his face. _Sebulba!_ He was responsible! He was! All those times Anakin had almost died! It was his fault! Anger surged through Buffy and she reached for the dug. She was going to make him pay!

"No, Buffy!" Qui-Gon's voice rippled through her, stopping her in mid-motion. "Do not give in to anger. Focus only on Anakin, only on Anakin."

She could feel him around her, a warm and comforting presence. He cared about her, deeply. _The way Giles used to._ The realization hit her hard and she hung, suspended, confused. _And he's afraid._ Afraid, not of her but for her. He was afraid of what she might do and the terrible consequences her actions would have. _On me_. Suddenly, Buffy realized to her chagrin that she didn't really want revenge on Sebulba. _I just want Anakin to win._

She began visualizing that and only that. Seeing Anakin break away, soaring across the sands to victory. And for the moment, her anger was forgotten. Wrapped in the warm embrace of a force much larger than she, Buffy felt calm for the first time in a year. She was whole.

Standing on the platform with Qui-Gon behind her, Buffy did not hear the sound of the crowd's surprised roar and was woken only by the cheering of the two-headed announcer.

"It's Skywalker! It's Skywalker!"

He had won.

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**A/N: **So, I decided to give Buffy her first lesson in the Force in this chapter. I hope it's a little different from what you've come across before and don't worry, I will explain what happened. :P Just be patient.

I'd gotten requests to keep the race portion of the story short and so I did, mostly because I hate that part of the movie too and there really isn't much to say about it. You've all seen the Phantom Menace, you all know how it goes.

Also, a glossary for those alien expletives some of you might not understand. If you did, congratulations, you get a cookie.

**Disclaimer: I did not create these expletives, they belong to the fine minds behind the SW EU and George Lucas. Enjoy them and feel free to use them in any SW story you have in mind. These particular ones were pulled from the comic Star Wars Legacy, in which John Ostrander nicely put his own glossary on the back of. Thank you John!**

A Huttese Glossary:

Kark: a derogatory expletive

Karking: derogatory modifier

Pateesa: friend, sweetie, darling

Murglak: a derogatory spacer term

Wermo: stupid person, idiot; worm,

Sleemo: slimeball (like you didn't know that already)

Schutta: slut

Remember, reviews always brighten my day and mean you get more story. So take some time and review. I always look forward to hearing whatever you have to say.


	12. Chapter 11: A Fair Bet

**Chapter Eleven: A Fair Bet**

He'd won.

_Anakin won!_ The words bounced through Buffy's mind. She was elated. It was marvelous! Amazing! Wonderful! _He did it! Just like I pictured!_ That stopped her dead and caused a cold pit to settle at the bottom of her stomach as she glanced back at Qui-Gon Jinn. _Just like he said._ She frowned. The memory of what had happened, the feeling of being cradled by something so much larger than herself, having been caught in a river and pulled…somewhere. It had felt good. The surrender. _I don't want to do it again._

The grinding of metal struck her ears, the whirring of gears. They were going down. _To where Anakin is._

Had she really felt her brother? Had she really helped him win? Buffy wasn't sure. _I felt something._ She couldn't deny that.

Buffy's fingernails dug into the flesh of her palm and she forced a smile onto her lips. This was a time for celebration not contemplation. She glanced at Qui-Gon, noticing that he wasn't looking at her. Swallowing her disappointment and her expectations of Giles like "Well done, Buffy!" pat on the back. _And a cookie._ Buffy turned away from him and hugged her mother tightly. Shmi was crying, her tears staining the rough cloth of Buffy's tunic.

"He did it!" She whispered. "He made it! Buffy, he won!"

"Yeah," Buffy swallowed. "He did."

She knew she should be more excited for Anakin. Instead, she felt lost and alone. The edges of her perceptions were sharper than before and everything felt so much closer. It was like she could feel…she didn't know what. _Life maybe? Lives?_ Emotion. Whatever it was it was distracting. _And scary._ In all her years as a Slayer, what few of them there were, she'd never felt anything like this.

They had reached the ground and Buffy could see a crowd growing around Anakin. She came to a stop as Jar Jar and Padme rushed past her, their movements and expressions filled with exultation. They were going to congratulate him.

Buffy paused and licked her lips. _Anakin was right all along._ She'd been wrong. _The sobering reality._ By now though, Buffy was used to being wrong. _I was wrong about Angel, I was wrong about Kendra, I was wrong…_ About so many things. _No!_ She shook her head. This was Anakin's moment. _By tomorrow these spacers will be gone and I'll be dealing with the fallout._ She knew Anakin didn't expect anything, but there had always been a dream in his eyes. _I don't want him to lose that innocence._

A hand was on her shoulder. "You and your brother did well." Qui-Gon said. His voice was low and for her ears alone, Buffy felt a twinge of gratitude sweep through her. "Just as I expected."

_What's that supposed to mean?_ "But what did I do exactly?"

"Everything will be revealed in time," Qui-Gon replied. His voice was gentle with compassion and understanding and his fingers. "Have patience."

Buffy watched him walk away towards Anakin, fuming. _Thanks so very much for the cryptic Mister Mystical Monk Man. Or whatever you are. I don't need patience! I need answers!_ Buffy snorted. _I bet you're just like Giles._ Foppish and unable to hold his own in a real fight. _I'd like to see how well you'd have done against Vamps and demons and monsters of all kinds! I bet you'd scream like a little girl!_ Buffy paused, realizing that this was the first time she'd managed to think about her past without her soul crying out in pain. _Weird._

"Mom! Buffy!" Anakin was shouting. Buffy looked up, her thoughts broken by the undeniable triumph in Anakin's voice. He wanted to share this with her. "I did it! Yeah!"

She smiled, watching his fists pump the air from his position on Qui-Gon's shoulder and she ran forward. _No time to think about Qui-Gon or his Force. I'm Anakin's big sister and I'm as excited about his first victory as he is._ As she shoved her way through the crowd, Buffy imagined the expression on Watto's face. _Bet he's having conniptions!_ She thought gleefully.

"Awesome Anakin!" She shouted over the crowd. "Amazing!"

***

After things had calmed down and the crowd's celebration finished the team retired to the inside hanger for a private moment of congratulations, Jar Jar held Anakin high over his head. Buffy stood beside her mother and Threepio, watching as the spacers expressed their gratitude. She frowned for a moment as Padme scooped Anakin up after Jar Jar put him down, holding him in a tight hug.

"We owe you everything, Ani." She said, after she let him go.

Staring deep into his crystal blue eyes, both ashamed for doubting him and saddened by the knowledge that winning this race wouldn't release him from bondage. Slavery was disgusting to her and Padme knew that after things had settled on her own planet, she would find her way back here to release him. Her eyes swung for a moment to the blonde headed Buffy watching her with suspicion and sighed. _I'll find a way to release his whole family._ It was the least she could do after everything he'd done for them. _But that doesn't mean I have to like her or her foul mouth._

Shmi was next, sweeping Anakin into a tight hug and pressing her lips against his cheek. "It's so wonderful Ani," she said. "You have brought hope to those who had none."

_But what about hope for us?_ Buffy wondered. _After they leave what will happen to Anakin? _Something tugged at the back of her mind, sharper and even more persistent than before. There was something, someone out there. A person she had to look for. Someone important. Who was, no, Buffy shook her head, who would be important. _To me?_ It was like a tickle in her spine, an irritation in her thoughts. _It's like I can feel…connections…_ How would she ever discover what Qui-Gon had done to her? _He's going to leave and he'll never come back._ Her heart tightened. _He said have patience, but what patience? He's going to take his ship and fly into the stars and never return. Anakin and I will just be memories, blips on his Jedi radar._

That wasn't true. Buffy could feel herself lying now. It was weird. Strange. She shook her head. She didn't care. _After they go, everything will be back to normal._ What ever this was, it would disappear with the Jedi and she'd be fine. Buffy swallowed. _I'll be fine._

"I'm so very proud of you." Shmi said, giving Anakin's grimy cheek another kiss.

"Congrats, Anakin." Buffy said. Once more, she shoved her depressing thoughts to the back of her mind and tried to focus only on her brother's triumph. She walked to his side and gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Always knew you had it in you."

Anakin grinned up at her. "It was all thanks to Qui-Gon." He said. "I followed his advice and a miracle happened." As their mother let him go, Anakin put his arms around Buffy's midriff and hugged her. "And," he added in a low voice, one that was for her ears only. "I thought I felt you out there with me."

Buffy swallowed. "It was just your imagination. Adrenaline. Race jitters." Her voice was soft as she stroked Anakin's straw blonde hair. "I was up in the tower the whole time, no way I couldn't a been with you."

"I guess not." Anakin said. He looked up at her with a small frown and Buffy knew he was doubting what she'd said.

"Come on," she laughed, giving him a hard smack between his shoulders. "I'm your sister, I wouldn't lie to you!"

"Okay." Anakin agreed with a nod and Buffy heaved a silent sigh in relief.

Whatever troubles she was having, she didn't want Anakin to get caught up in this Force nonsense too. It would be hard enough when Padme and Qui-Gon left. _I doubt anyone's going to miss Jar Jar much._ And Artoo only ever seemed to make snarky comments in a beeping language that Buffy couldn't understand. _Not going to miss him either._ Even if he made Threepio have the most hilarious outbursts. _And I won't miss Qui-Gon._ He could take his wannabe Giles ass somewhere else, anywhere else. _Just as long as he gets off this sandpit._

"Where's Mister Qui-Gon?" Anakin asked a few moments later, looking around.

"I believe he had some business to settle with Watto." Shmi replied. She glanced at her daughter, catching her eye. Buffy blinked in response, not sure what her mother might be suggesting. "He told me that he would meet us back here when he was done."

"Then, we should get home." Buffy said, seeing the excitement in the eyes of Padme and Jar Jar. She didn't want Anakin to have to see the results of his win or realize too quickly that soon his new friends would be leaving. Besides, she wasn't looking forward to seeing Qui-Gon Jinn again. "Finish the celebration there."

"What about everybody else?" Anakin asked. He glanced at Jar Jar and Padme.

"You go home and celebrate with your family, Anakin." Padme said after a momentary glance at Buffy, suddenly catching on to the other's intent. _I can't free you now Anakin, but I will someday._ She also had no wish to cause the young boy anymore suffering, not after he had already done so much. _He isn't even getting a reward._ Padme had always known that the galaxy could be a cruel place, but time it seemed horribly unfair. "We'll stay here and help Qui-Gon get everything to our space ship."

"You mean this is goodbye?" Anakin asked. He glanced from Padme to Jar Jar and then to Artoo, his face falling. He hadn't realized that they would have to leave so soon.

Artoo whistled sadly, his wheels moving him back and forth on the sands.

"It's sa already time?" Jar Jar asked. His duck-billed face seeming to crumple and the stalks of his eyes bending forward sadly. His gangly fingers prodded each other as he glanced from Padme to Anakin.

"I'm afraid so." Padme said. Silently, she knelt and pulled Anakin into another tight hug. Anakin's arms went around her and he hugged back. Padme could feel that he was trying to keep on a brave face. "We'll see each other again someday." She added softly into his ear.

"Promise?"

"I promise." Padme said. Squeezing her eyes shut, she opened them to glance at Buffy. The girl wasn't looking at them, but Padme sensed that her ugly big sister head was about to rear up and strike. Sadly, she let Anakin go and stood. "Will you be alright on the way home?"

"Buffy and Anakin must go meet Watto at his shop." Shmi replied. She glanced at her children. This was what happened at the end of every Podrace, but the possibility that Qui-Gon had spoken of, gave the older woman hope. _Perhaps this time it will be different._

"Right." Buffy said. Walking forward, she touched Anakin's shoulder and then took his hand. Squeezing it gently, she spoke in a soft voice. "Come on, Anakin. Let's see the kind of tizzy you put old elephant nose Barbar in."

***

On the balcony overlooking the circuit, Watto was busy paying out his debts to collectors. Anger burned at the bottom of his Toydarian heart. He felt a great sense of loss and disappointment. He should have been happy and proud at what Anakin had won him, but all that filled him was the knowledge that he had lost the boy at the moment he'd begun to show his true potential. Though the twin suns of Tatooine burned brightly overhead, Watto's day was only filled with darkness. He hoped against hope that Qui-Gon would not come, that he had forgotten his bet, that the strange spacer would be satisfied with receiving his parts. But Watto was a Toydarian, he knew that could not of resisted the acquisition of such a skilled slave and like his own people humans too had greedy hearts.

Hearing footsteps crunching on the sand behind him, Watto turned and saw the face of the man who'd ruined him. "You!" He snarled. His body fluttered in the air as his wings buzzed angrily, he covered the distance between them, bouncing up and down as he went. "You swindled me!" He pointed an angry claw at the spacer. Irritated even more by the casual calmness the man faced him with. "You knew the boy was going to win!" He hissed. "Somehow you knew it! I lost everything."

"Whenever you gamble my friend, eventually you lose." Qui-Gon replied, he turned and walked towards the sunny outlook over the track. His attitude dismissive, a businessman who was finishing up a particularly odious transaction. "Bring the parts to the main hanger, I'll come by the shop later on so you can release your charges."

"You can't have them." Watto replied sullenly. He crossed his short, stubby arms over his chest, his face partially hidden by shadow. "It wasn't a fair bet."

Qui-Gon turned to face him, a dark cast falling on his features. He was not going to allow Watto to renege on their arrangement, too much was at stake. "Would you like to take this matter up with the Hutts?" He walked towards Watto slowly, his calm never breaking, but there was an edge to his voice. "I'm sure they can settle this."

"Hmm," Watto faced him, wondering if he was bluffing. Watto knew the consequences, what would happen if this were to be brought before Jabba. It would be he, not the spacer who would be punished. Gravely punished. Watto would lose more than he had already. He looked up at the human, knowing that it was not worth the risk. "Take them."

Qui-Gon bowed to the Toydarian, an expression of gratitude that he did not truly feel and left.

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**A/N:** Another chapter dedicated to my wonderful readers. Thank you so much for the reviews! They always make me smile!

Sorry this one is so short, I wasn't sure what to do with all the skipping around and I figured it would be best to start the next chapter back at the ship and do all the emotional stuff then. Don't worry, it'll be up soon! ^_^

Remember to review!


	13. Chapter 12: Letting Go

**Chapter Twelve: Letting Go**

Obi-wan stood on the shifting sands, the heat of the suns burning on his face. Staring around at the essential parts that their starship was missing, Obi-wan found that he wasn't surprised. He knew should be. But as Qui-Gon had always taught him, the Force always guided a Jedi to the necessary solution. _Even if it's not a solution the Jedi thought._ One must always be open to the Force, ready to hear it's commands and obey.

Well, at the moment Obi-wan just wanted it to shut up. He hated feeling this way. It was as if he'd failed everything Qui-Gon had taught him, failed in his Jedi training. He felt like a foolish Padawan again, the youngling that no master had wanted to train. Why couldn't he simply surrender to the Force's wishes? Why did those wishes have to conflict with his mission? Why did it press upon his mind with such insistence?

Obi-wan took a few deep, calming breaths and swallowed, seeing Qui-Gon appearing out of the desert haze on the back of an Eopie. The creature honked loudly, it's nose sniffling the air as it's approached. Obi-wan itched, it was moving so slowly. Behind it, he could see a cloud of sand. It was dragging, he assumed, the final component for the Naboo star cruisers hyperdrive. _Meaning we will soon be on our way._

Perhaps then Obi-wan would be able to find the thing the Force was niggling about. He knew he would feel relieved when the pressure was gone. _Then I will go back to feeling like a proper Jedi._ It was irritating that he couldn't master this.

Obi-wan approached Qui-Gon, passing by both the Handmaiden Padme and the irritating Gungan Jar Jar. His boots leaving light footprints in the sand, he walked quickly, hoping against hope that they would finally be able to get on their way. As he drew nearer, the look on his master's face sent Obi-wan's hopes spiraling. He could immediately sense it: their business on this planet was not yet concluded.

"Well," Qui-Gon said from his perch on the Eopie's back. "We have all the essential parts we need." Obi-wan stopped, his chest inches from the creature's long snout. "I'm going back." The Padawan said nothing as the Eopie shook its head, spewing spit across the front of his robes. Instead, a wry smile twitched on his lips. With Qui-Gon, it was impossible to keep one's face impassive. "Some unfinished business. I won't be long."

"Why do I sense that we've picked up another pathetic life form?"

"It's the boy and the girl who are responsible for getting us these parts." Qui-Gon replied. His voice sharp and Obi-wan immediately felt chastised, ashamed for letting his own impatience get the better of him. "Get the hyperdrive generator installed."

"Yes, Master." Obi-wan bowed his head. "It shouldn't take long."

He watched in silence as Qui-Gon turned the beast around and headed back towards Mos Espa. A sense of unease crept through the pressure at the back of the young Jedi's mind. It was different from the irritation the Force was causing him and Obi-wan knew that he must get to work immediately. There was a shadow in the Force and he sensed a storm growing on the horizon. He knew they must leave this planet as soon as possible.

***

Not long after and far from the sleek hull of the Naboo star cruiser, Buffy Summers Skywalker heard the excited voice of her brother as he entered their small home. Watto had sent her home early after the race, needing Anakin to remain. He hadn't given her a reason why, he'd merely told her to go wait at home. Still, he'd been in a worse mood than Buffy had expected. He'd shouted loudly at her, telling her to get out, cursing her viciously in Huttese. She'd been able to do nothing except comply. He had the controls to her slave chip and was capable of making her hurt anytime he wished. Though the slug brained wermo usually preferred the personal approach and usually chose whipping over the electric shock as her punishment. But during the few times he'd used it Buffy had wanted to die.

"Mom! Buffy!" Anakin cried as he came running through the door.

She hated herself for leaving Anakin in the shop. But apparently things had worked out well. Sitting up off the table, she saw Qui-Gon entering in behind her brother. Her throat tightened as she wondered if he'd come to say goodbye. Not that she'd wanted one. She hadn't. She just thought it was nice, for Anakin's sake.

"Look! We sold the Pod! Look at all the money we got!"

Buffy straightened, suddenly noticing the large black bag of creds jingling in her little brother's hand. _What?_ She glanced at Qui-Gon, remembering for a minute the feelings she'd gotten from him during the race, once again she felt his concern for her and his sense of hope for her future. _He's letting us keep the money?_ Since Shmi had adopted her, Buffy had never been on the receiving end of such generosity. It made her feel a little guilty. _He's still leaving. He'll still hurt Anakin in the end._

"Oh my goodness!" Shmi exclaimed as Anakin opened the bag for her. "But that's so wonderful, Ani!"

"He has been freed." Qui-Gon said from the doorway. He gestured covering the scope of the room. His words echoing through Buffy painfully and her heartbeat grew louder over the thought of being separated from her brother. "They both have."

"What?" Buffy and Anakin asked together.

Buffy was on her feet and she was staring at Qui-Gon, her eyes suddenly filled with distrust. "You've got to be kidding! There's no way Watto would ever let Ani go! No way!" _No way he'd ever let me go either spaceman._

"It is true." Qui-Gon said. There was a warm smile on his lips as he glanced from Buffy to Anakin. "You're no longer slaves."

"You're lying!" Buffy yelled.

Her hands were tightening into a fist, her nails digging into her palms and she could feel the blood slipping between her fingers. She had dreamed of this moment for so long. So many nights had been spent imagining the different ways she could kill Watto, what his stupid elephant face would like as she strangled the life from him. _I was going to free them, somehow._ Now this Jedi had come along and done it for her.

"Buffy," Shmi admonished. "Is this how you show your gratitude?"

"Yeah, Buffy." Anakin said. "He's a Jedi and Jedi don't lie!"

"Sure," Buffy growled. "Same way Jedi can't die."

"Buffy!"

"No, no," Qui-Gon chuckled. "I understand the place where her fears begin." He gazed at Buffy with warm brown eyes. "You are afraid for your family and you know the cost of being wrong. There is nothing wrong in being suspicious." He reached into the folds of his robe and drew a small black card. "Here," he said, tossing it to her. "See for yourself."

Catching it in a smooth motion, Buffy frowned at him. Then, she looked down at the screen. "He's right." She breathed. "Anakin and I are…" She glanced back at her mother, expression suddenly pained. "Free."

"Now, you can make your dreams come true, my darling daughter." Shmi said. "You and Anakin can, together."

_But not you._ Buffy's throat tightened, her fingers closing around the small, black datapad in her hand. It only took one look into her mother's eyes to know that Shmi also understood. Tears burned at the edges of Buffy's eyes. _I'm not going._

"Does this mean I get to go on your starship?" Anakin asked. _I can finally see the galaxy! I can finally help Buffy find her way home!_

He was standing in front of Qui-Gon, his expression eager. Buffy could feel the dreams dancing in her brother's eyes. Anakin had always wanted to go into space. That was his dream. Freedom and a starship. Now, he'd be able to explore the galaxy.

Shmi looked away from her daughter, pushing back her own sadness at the news and turned her attention to Qui-Gon. "Will you take them with you?" She asked. "Are they to become Jedi?"

"Yes," Qui-Gon replied. "Our meeting was not a coincidence. Nothing happens by accident."

_I don't want to be a Jedi!_ Buffy's mind cried. _I never wanted to! I just want to find my way home! To go home!_ Her heart thudded to a stop as she glanced back at her mother. _But Mom, I don't wan to leave you! I won't leave you here._

"I won't leave you." Buffy said in a low voice, too low for Anakin to hear. But her mother could and she watched Shmi's expression tighten. It was a mixture of both great joy and great sorrow.

"You mean it?" Anakin asked. "Buffy and I really get to go in your starship?"

"Anakin," Qui-Gon said. Kneeling down, he met the younger boy eye to eye, his expression completely serious. Buffy knew that his words were not just for her brother, but for her as well. "Training to become a Jedi is not an easy challenge and even if you succeed it's a hard life. One that will require great sacrifice."

"Sounds about as fun as being a Slayer." Buffy mumbled.

Her arms were crossed over her chest as despair began filling her heart. Anakin was going to leave Tatooine, nothing she could say would stop him. _And Mom won't say anything._ Any life would be better for him than the one they had here. _He might not understand what he's sacrificing, but he's going to go._ She closed her eyes, this was all part of what that damned Jedi had done to her. Being able to taste Anakin's destiny as if it were her own, it was all his fault. _I can feel it._

"But I want to go. It's what I've always dreamed of doing!" Anakin said, just as Buffy knew he would. He turned back to face their mother, a plaintive tone entering his voice. "Can I go Mom?"

Shmi sighed, a smile overcoming the tightened wrinkles of her face. "Anakin," she said. Taking his hand in hers, she squeezed it gently. "This path has been placed before you, the choice is yours alone."

"The choice that must be made is not only Anakin's," Qui-Gon said. He was staring at Buffy. "But yours as well. I feel with you, Buffy, all that you could be and I have seen the great things you may accomplish, should you come with us. However, the decision is yours."

"What?" Buffy asked. "You Jedi can see the future too?"

"The Force sees all things, young Skywalker." Qui-Gon said with a smile. "Both the past and future, sometimes it reveals those visions to those of us attuned to it. Like it or not," his voice hardened for a moment. "It has chosen you and your brother. The choice is yours to spurn its gifts or embrace them."

"I decide my own destiny." Buffy said, her voice flat. "Not some mystical energy field."

"But Buffy!" Anakin said. "You have to go! I've dreamed about it! I've seen you become a Jedi!"

Buffy blinked in surprise as she glanced at her brother. "What?"

"I'm going to go." Anakin said, turning to Qui-Gon. "It's what I've always dreamed of doing and if I go, Buffy will come too." He glanced back at his sister, a huge grin on his face. "She never lets me go anywhere dangerous alone."

"This is what I get for spoiling you rotten." Buffy grumbled. Her boots shifted on the sandy floor. What Anakin said was true. _Whatever I feel, if he goes I have to go too._

Anakin glanced from his mother to Buffy. "I want to do it."

"Then pack your things," Qui-Gon said. "We haven't much time."

"Anakin…" Buffy began. But her little brother had already run off, she dropped her hand and turned to face her mother. "Mom…"

"You know what you must do, Buffy." Shmi said. "As I have always known." She reached out and took her daughter's hand, exerting a gentle pressure against Buffy's wounded palm. "I knew it from the moment Anakin brought you into our home, that someday you would leave us. There is a greatness in you." She smiled softly. "You and Anakin are too bright to remain here forever."

"I won't leave you still enslaved."

"Oh, Buffy." Shmi lifted her other hand and cupped her daughter's cheek as Buffy dropped down to her knees. "You are one of the bravest souls I have ever known, but this is something you cannot fix." She pressed her lips to her daughter's forehead in a gentle kiss. "My place is here, my future is here. It is a fact I accepted long ago."

Tears dripped down Buffy's cheeks as she listened to her mother speak. Shmi was right and deep down Buffy knew that. But she was a stubborn young woman and a proud one. Since her arrival on this strange planet in this strange galaxy, Buffy had been struggling to survive. _Some nights, the thought of freeing my family was all that kept be going._ She could not abandon that now.

"I'm going to save you." She whispered, taking her mother's hands in her own. "I'll figure out some way to do it. Even if I have to kill both Watto and the Hutts themselves, I'll…"

Shmi's finger on her lips silenced Buffy. "You will not give up your future for me." She murmured. "You will not give up on finding your way home. I won't let you end your life trying to save mine."

"But!"

"You must go with the Jedi, Buffy." Shmi said. "You must be strong for Anakin, you alone can watch out for him and keep him safe."

"You can't make me choose between you!"

"I am choosing." Shmi replied. Her voice was hard and sad. "You must learn to let me go and help Anakin do the same." She wiped away the hot tears streaking down Buffy's cheeks. "My beautiful, adopted daughter. You will save so many with your noble heart. You will make a fine Jedi. But you must learn how to sacrifice and remember this: you cannot save everyone." She patted Buffy's cheek. "Go with the Jedi and let me go."

"Mother…"

"You have always done what is right, daughter." Shmi said. "And you know what you must do now."

Swallowing, her heart heavy, Buffy nodded. She glanced back at Qui-Gon. "I'll go with you." She said in a soft, sad voice. "I'll become a Jedi."

"Then gather your things."

Buffy looked at her mother for another long moment and then sighed, shaking her head. Squeezing Shmi's hand tightly for the last time, Buffy stood and turned away from her mother. "There's nothing I need to take with me."

"Very well." Qui-Gon said. "The Jedi Order will be forever grateful to you for your sacrifice, Lady Skywalker." He added with a low bow. "They will become fine Jedi Knights, I promise you."

"Then I'm going to wait outside." Buffy said. Rubbing her cheeks to get rid of the tears, she stalked past Qui-Gon and out into the heat, wind, and sand.

Qui-Gon and Shmi listened to the sound of the doors closing. Qui-Gon watched with concern as Shmi let out a deep and sad breath. Reaching out with his left hand, he rested it on her shoulder in a gesture of compassion. "Will you be alright?"

Shmi glanced back at him and smiled. "Yes." She said.

When Anakin returned to the room, the three left the small, cramped space that both Anakin and Buffy had called home. They stood beneath the twin suns of Tatooine, saying their last goodbyes. Buffy and Anakin threw their arms around Shmi, Buffy holding back her tears for Anakin's sake, her mother's words repeating in her mind. She would have to be strong for her little brother. But she knew that everything would be all right as long as they were together.

"I'm going to miss you." Buffy whispered into Shmi's ear.

"Don't want things to change." Anakin cried, feeling for the first time the weight of leaving his mother behind.

Shmi and Buffy shared a glance. Silently, Buffy let go of her mother and swallowed. Stepping back, she walked across the sands to Qui-Gon's side. Dropping her eyes as she stepped beside the Jedi Master, Buffy looked away. She knew that if she gazed at Anakin and their mother for to long, she would be running back, telling her she couldn't do it. Buffy hated leaving her mother in this place, but Shmi was right. _There's not another option._ Much as Buffy wished there were. _I'll come back someday._ Buffy promised, silently staring at her mother and her little brother. _I'll find a way to free you._

"But you cannot stop the change, anymore than you can stop the suns from setting." Shmi said. Smiling, she stroked her son's cheek, knowing that this was possibly the last time she would ever touch him. "You must let go."

"I can't do it, Mom!" Anakin whispered through his tears. "I just can't do it!"

"Oh, my son." Shmi smiled. "If you don't go, who will take care of your sister? Who will keep her out of trouble? She needs looking after. No," she shook her head. "Deep down you know that you must go."

"Will I ever see you again?"

"Shhh," Shmi said taking her son into her arms for the last time. "What does your heart tell you?"

"I hope so." Anakin nodded into her tunic as she pushed him back. He stared into her eyes. "Yes, I guess. Yes."

"Then we will see each other again."

"I will come back and free you, Mom." Anakin said. His voice filled with newfound determination. "I promise."

Shmi stroked his face with a smile. She knew the reality of the situation better than either Buffy or Anakin. She understood that she could not let her own wants and wishes interfere with their wellbeing. Much as she wanted them to stay, she knew that she could only let them go and hope that someday they would do the same. She swallowed and looked down for a moment, shutting her eyes. There would be time for tears later, but it was not now.

"Be brave." She said. "And don't look back. You and your sister, you must not look back."

Slowly, Anakin threw his large backpack over his shoulders and headed towards his sister. Feeling the warmth of his mother leaving him and the cold emptiness where she had been. Even in the heat of Tatooine, Anakin felt cold. He wondered if he would always be alone. Looking up, he saw Buffy standing with Qui-Gon, her face as impassive as the Jedi Master's. _Doesn't she care?_ He wondered. Then, Anakin swallowed his irritation. Wishing, deep down, that he could be as strong as his sister. Like her, he wouldn't cry.

"Well," Buffy said as her brother approached them. "Shall we get this gravy train a runnin'? To boldly go where no man has gone before? Face the great unknown? Take one small step for man and make one giant leap for mankind?"

"Why don't we get you to the ship," Qui-Gon said, his face expressionless but Buffy could feel a bit of sarcasm in his tone, a touch of tongue and cheek in his voice. "And go from there?"

"Okay, fine." Buffy groaned. "If that's the way you wanna ruin a girl's mood." Silently, she grabbed hold of her brother's hand and forced herself not to look back at her mother. "Come on, Ani! Great adventures await! Up, up and away!"

"Buffy," Anakin said. "Sometimes you don't make any sense."

Buffy smiled in response and followed Qui-Gon away from the Slave Quarters, her little brother in tow. She knew that she would never forget her mother, no matter how much Shmi wanted her too. She would never forget the sacrifice she had made nor the words emblazoned in her mind.

"_You cannot save everyone."_

_Just wait._ Buffy replied, a determined frown creasing her face. _And I'll prove you wrong._

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**A/N:** Okay, so this was the sad chapter. Which means Maul and Obi-wan are coming next! Yay! I've been looking forward to writing this for weeks! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, even though it was sad. I know some of you wanted me to save Shmi, but she's such a good lesson for both Anakin and Buffy that I couldn't pass it up. Those two both need to learn to let go. But will they? That's the question.

Remember, if you like my writing, review!


	14. Chapter 13: To the Stars

**Chapter Thirteen: To the Stars**

They were walking across the sands, heat burning up through the soles of Buffy's boots. She followed a few paces behind Qui-Gon and hand in hand with Anakin. She hadn't let him go since before the city's edge and she had no plans to now. Buffy had taken what her mother said to heart. She would be Anakin's protector against the greater galaxy. She would look out for him. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at Qui-Gon's back, even if the Jedi intended to do the same.

The silver curve of the space ship's hull came into view as they hurried over the last of the sand dunes. Buffy stared at it, her pace slowing even as the Jedi Master's quickened. She'd seen space ships before, but never like this. _It looks like a silver bullet with wings. I bet it's fast._ Would she jinx it by getting on board.

"Buffy!" Anakin yelled. "We have to catch Qui-Gon!"

His voice was lost to her, but she felt his fingers slip out of her grasp. Her eyes widened as she watched him running across the sands, his too large backpack jiggling from side to side. "Anakin! Wait!"

She reached out for him and then stopped. Her fingers hanging loosely in midair as she listened. Buffy heard a strange buzzing coming up behind them. It sounded like the thrum of an engine combined with the whizzing of air. It was flying. She started to turn around.

"Buffy!" Qui-Gon's voice caught her in time. "Drop!"

Throwing herself to the side, she rolled in the sand and listened to the whizzing buzz pass by overhead. She looked up, seeing a humanoid in a black hooded robe on a black speeder bike. It was a type she'd never seen before. A cold chill slithered up her spine. She watched, frozen as it whipped past Anakin and headed straight for Qui-Gon.

"Anakin!" Buffy shouted, seeing Qui-Gon's hand wave and her brother tossed to the side. The being on the bike was still heading towards the Jedi and Buffy could practically feel the dark man's malevolent intent.

As the hooded enemy flipped off his speeder bike, a movement too fast for Buffy's eyes to follow, and ignited his bloody blade, Anakin struggled to his feet. There was a hiss as, in a smooth movement, Qui-Gon drew his lightsaber from his belt and the green blade sprang to life. Red crashed down onto green in a flurry of slices and strikes that would make any observer dizzy.

_Great!_ Buffy's mind snarled as she forced herself up, her body aching from the sand. She had to do something! _I'm a Slayer!_ Fighting monsters and bad guys was what she did!

"Buffy!" Anakin yelled. "Come on!"

She could hear the terror in his voice, but her eyes were focused only on the hooded stranger and they narrowed. How long had it been since she had felt like her old self? How long since she had been confronted with a problem that needed a Slayer?

"Anakin!" Qui-Gon's voice cried over the hissing and sparking of the two blades blocking and striking, connecting and disengaging. "Get your sister and to go to the ship! Tell them to take off!"

"Go, Anakin!" Buffy yelled. "I'm fine! Get to the ship!"

She didn't think, she was up and running, charging towards the battle. It had been so long! So long since she had felt her true purpose. She didn't wait to see her brother taking off towards the shining space ship, his backpack bouncing even more violently. Buffy's hands pumped at her sides, her breath coming out quickly and evenly, her blood pounding in her ears. She felt the call of battle sing through her. Weaponless, she ran towards the man with the glowing red blade. She watched the intricate dance of death he practiced with Qui-Gon Jinn. Buffy knew, distracted as he was, he'd never hear her coming up behind him.

Buffy lunged.

Anakin's small feet thundered up the loading ramp. Disappearing inside, he ran to the first person he saw. "Mister Qui-Gon's in trouble!" He shouted seeing Padme talking with a tall black man in a strange uniform in the ship's hallway.

"Come on!" Ignoring her surprise for the moment, Padme grabbed Anakin by the shoulder. Dragging him towards the cockpit, her feet moved hurriedly though, with Anakin attached she could not run. With the little boy in tow, Padme followed Captain Panaka through the sliding door and into the large round room that served as the starship's cockpit. Her eyes on the one man she knew could help the Jedi Master out of his situation: Padawan Obi-wan Kenobi.

"Qui-Gon's in trouble!" Panaka yelled, seconds after the door had slid open and allowing him, Padme, and Anakin into the cockpit.

Obi-wan didn't waste any time. "Take off!" Through the Force he had felt the heated battle outside. Leaning over the controls, he pointed out at the desert. "And fly low."

The man in black robes spun away from Qui-Gon, his legs blurring across the sand and his blade coming around. Buffy caught a glimpse of his face, black and red with sharp pointed teeth and a crown of horns spiking off the curve of his skull. He made her heart freeze in her chest. Seeing the blade snaking towards her, she threw herself sideways.

There was a crackling hiss as it made contact. Buffy's arm feeling like it had been dipped in molten metal. She held back a scream, her shoulder hitting the sand. It hurt. Buffy knew she'd avoided the strike meant to cleave her in two, But she hadn't escaped him completely. _So fast._ She thought, gripping her upper arm tightly.

The pain flowing through her as she gripped her burn, Buffy rolled, trying to find her footing. It was hard in the sand. It slipped away beneath her forcing her to stumble. Pushing herself onto one knee, Buffy looked up. _Get back in the fight, Summers!_ Her mind growled. _This guy isn't so tough!_

She was lying to herself again.

_I'm a Slayer._ The words echoed mockingly in her mind as she felt a black shadow fall across her. _This is what Slayers do._

She looked up into his face. His harsh yellow eyes were on her and he was grinning down at her in triumph. It was only momentary. He would not take the time to gloat. He would kill her and remove her. They were cold as they stared at her and Buffy felt small. To him, she was even more insignificant than she'd been to the Master and unimportant.

_This is what Slayers do. They die._

His eyes caught her. And with a cobra's gaze, he held her still. Afraid. She was afraid. He was empty. His expressions giving way to a black pit, a soul so dark that no light could escape from it. Buffy had faced evil.

But this was something else entirely.

_It's like looking into a pit._

Seconds became eternity as Buffy stared into the monster's eyes. Her arm throbbing beneath her fingers, burning, the cloth around it completely severed, the smell of charred matter hanging thick in the air. It taunted her nostrils.

"Buffy!" Qui-Gon's voice broke the spell. "Run!"

A flash of red light caught Buffy by surprise. She hadn't seen her enemy move. It cut up in a spinning twirl across her thigh and she fell sideways, a scream on her lips. A shriek echoed across the desert sands.

Her enemy however, did not stop moving. Unhindered by wounding her, he spun in a blaze of red and black. His lightsaber crackling as it struck Qui-Gon's. The two warriors re-engaged their battle, Qui-Gon's hits growing ever more quick and sure, his stance becoming more aggressive as he switched forms and drove the enemy back across the dunes, away from Buffy.

"Qui-Gon!" She yelled.

There was a rush of wind from above and Buffy looked up, seeing the curving wings of the space ship. It's loading ramp hanging in the sky. What did it intend to do? She wondered. Was it going to shoot the cloaked alien?

Slashing across the cloaked enemy's front, Buffy watched Qui-Gon whirl around. Facing her, he threw his hand up into the air and Buffy felt herself fly. She arced through the air, feeling it whiz against her cheeks and dry her eyes. Her mind focused on the pain in her leg and her arm. It was like she'd been dumped head first into cold water while her wounds were being boiled. She hit the ramp hard on her good side, the wind screaming around her as the ship continued to fly over the battle.

_What just happened?_ Buffy wondered. How had she been flung through the air? _He's not gonna say that was also the power of the Force, right?_

She leaned down, trying to see the figures below. She was so high. The wind whipped into her eyes. "I can't see anything!" Buffy growled, trying to find the enemy. _That was so pathetic._

Out of nowhere Qui-Gon sprang up in front of her. Trying to scramble backwards, Buffy stared at him, her eyes round as saucers as she tried to ignore the pain. "Come," Qui-Gon said. "Let's get you inside." Buffy couldn't find her voice to complain as Qui-Gon switched off his lightsaber and scooped her up in his arms. He carried her inside the ship as the ramp closed behind them.

Below, Darth Maul watched as the Nubian starship shot away into the atmosphere and disappeared from sight. His crimson blade withdrawing back into its handle, knowing that the battle was done and his task failed. Still, it was not a complete loss. He had gathered some interesting intelligence. A strong but untrained Force user traveled with the Jedi. One who was already beginning to walk their first steps down the Dark Side. He would report it to his master and perhaps Sidious would not be so severe with the punishments that were to come.

Maul was Sith and all Sith knew the price of failure.

***

The rattling of the ship as it shot through the atmosphere and exhaustion from the heated battle made Qui-Gon collapse moments after the ramp had closed. He fell and Buffy came down on top of him, pain spiking through her arm and her leg as she hit the floor.

"Ouch!" Buffy yelped as she came crashing down on top of Qui-Gon. Unbalanced by the landing, she fell backwards, her elbows slamming into the cold metal. "Double ouch." It felt like every part of her body was throbbing, the wounds on her right arm and leg burned like someone kept poking them with a molten iron rod. She let out a long sigh as she looked up at the ceiling and then over at the Jedi Master. "I think I just got dipped in carbonite."

"You very nearly lost your life." Qui-Gon said. The sternness of his voice was like pouring salt into her wounded pride. "Next time, be less impulsive and rationally evaluate the situation."

Buffy flinched and looked away. "I wanted to help you." She said. "That's… I mean; it's what I do."

"You would have helped me more by considering your own safety." Qui-Gon replied. He was completely calm and his voice even, but Buffy could hear the barely controlled worry in his tone. "Recklessly endangering yourself nearly cost me the battle."

"And me my life." Buffy looked away, wishing she could hide the crimson flush spreading across her cheeks. "I get it."

_What happened?_ Buffy wondered. _When did I become so bad at fighting?_ She couldn't blame what happened on her lack of Slayer strength. It wouldn't have helped her. Buffy wished she could, it would have hurt less than the truth. _He was better than me._ Faster, stronger, and better equipped. _He heard me, saw me, sensed me somehow. He flipped through my attack like I was a picture book and he was the karking Lord of the Rings!_ And there was that weapon. The red blade still burned in her eyes when she closed them.

Leaning over, she checked her upper right arm. Pushing apart the split fabric of her tunic, she stared down at the long slash of blackened skin. The cut was deep, almost to the bone, meaning the blade had sliced through her like she was a bar of butter. Both sides had been completely cauterized by the heat, sealing them so that no blood escaped from the wound. The smell of superheated flesh made her dizzy and fighting through it, Buffy wondered if she would ever be able to use her arm again.

Right now it just hung limply at her side, half the controlling muscles severed.

"This battle taught you a valuable lesson." Qui-Gon said. "And it's one you mustn't forget, even we've erased the scars."

"You can fix me?" Buffy asked. "You can make me better than I was before?" She couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice on both Earth and Tatooine a wound like this was fatal. _Even my Slayer healing abilities can't do much about this._ They hardened her against taking damage and healed what happened on a surface level. _But that guy carved away my flesh._ It wasn't something she'd magically get back. _Actually, I can probably thank what's left of my slayerness for even being conscious._ A normal person would have passed out by now. _From the shock._

Qui-Gon chuckled. "Yes, young one." He smiled at her. "I've known others to recover from far worse. A few hours in a bacta tank and you'll be good as new."

Next to them, Artoo whistled his agreement.

"Shut up!" Buffy growled at the droid.

There was a whoosh as a door at the end of the cargo bay split open. Through it came a young man not much older than her. He was a fashion disaster in a blah colored outfit and dark brown robes. A cylinder dangled from his belt as he strode into the room, his soft boots making no sound on the metal floor. _He's cute._ Buffy thought, wincing as she tried to straighten up. _Man I need to pass out._ Adrenaline and shock were the only things keeping her alert.

"Buffy!" Anakin yelled as he came running in behind the young man. "Are you all right?"

"Just a few burns." Qui-Gon said with a cough and he glanced at Buffy. "But your sister will need to spend some time in medlab."

"What happened?" Obi-wan asked as he knelt down beside his master. The buzzing at the back of his mind was growing more insistent by the moment. Clearly the Force wanted him to look at someone in the room. He'd felt nothing from the boy, despite what Master Qui-Gon had said. Either way, he couldn't afford to be sidetracked. He needed to focus on their mysterious adversary. Not some Force driven feeling for something probably light years away. "What was it?"

"I'm not sure." Qui-Gon said. "But it was well trained in the Jedi arts."

"Yeah," Buffy coughed. "And you could use that blade to grill a steak off a ronto. Anyone want to help me get to…" She trailed off as green eyes met blue. "To…" Buffy swallowed, the pain was becoming too much. Still, she felt that something odd was happening. Her mind was tugging her attention to this man. The pull was strong. "Oh…" The pain was overriding her senses and her vision swam. "Pull a cock-a-doodle-doo in the morning," her words were becoming incoherent. "And make sure the swim team doesn't practice…lizards in the water…" Her eyes rolled up in her head and she fell backwards, darkness crashing in on her. Warmth flooded her. Something caught her. Buffy narrowed her eyes, looking up at the blobby face. "Oh…" She repeated, reaching up with her good arm to touch his smooth cheek. "It's you."

"Master," Obi-wan said as he stared down at the young woman cradled in his arms. "I believe your friend has passed out."

"She bravely attempted to help me fight. Unfortunately, for one untrained, he proved to be too much." Qui-Gon said, looking down at Buffy concerned eyes. "But young Buffy has incredible resilience to keep herself awake for so long, especially with such grievous injuries." He glanced at his Padawan, who had not looked away from the girl's face. Obi-wan was gazing at her with a mix of wonder and confusion. "What did she say to you?"

"Nothing." Obi-wan replied. "She was incoherent." Slowly, balancing the girl's weight between his arms, he lifted her up. "If it's alright with you Master, I'll take her to the medbay and see about getting her treated."

"Lightsabers are dangerous weapons." Qui-Gon nodded. "She was lucky she didn't lose both arm and leg. Obi-wan, watch over her until I come find you, I'm afraid I must speak to her Majesty and the Guard."

"About our attacker, Master?"

"Yes," Qui-Gon nodded. "I fear he was after the Queen."

"Can I go with Mister Obi-wan too, sir?" Anakin piped up. He was sitting next to Artoo, his legs crossed and his face creased with worry.

"You should go and rest, Anakin." Qui-Gon said. "I understand your concern, but there is nothing you can do for Buffy that the medical droid can't. You can see her when you're less tired." He patted Anakin on the head for a moment and then turned to Obi-wan. "Obi-wan, this is Anakin Skywalker." He smiled for a moment. "The boy who helped get this ship off the ground."

"Ah," Obi-wan said, shifting the girl in his arms. "If you don't mind Master, I'll take her now."

"Go." Qui-Gon waved him off. He turned to Anakin as Obi-wan disappeared through the sliding doors and down the corridor. "Anakin that was Obi-wan Kenobi, my Padawan."

"Oh, so he's a Jedi in training?" Anakin asked. He gazed after the young Jedi for another minute. "Are you sure I shouldn't go with them, Master Qui-Gon?" He frowned. "Obi-wan was looking at my sister kinda funny."

"It's nothing you need worry about, Anakin." Qui-Gon said. Not voicing his own thoughts about Obi-wan's strange reaction to Buffy Skywalker. "Go get some rest."

He would have to talk with Obi-wan after speaking with the Queen. Qui-Gon hoped that he'd been wrong about what he'd sensed. But he'd quickly learned that when it came to Obi-wan, he was rarely wrong. Qui-Gon frowned and climbed to his feet. _All things in their own time._ The mission must come first and personal business later. _We are a long way from Coruscant_. And it was already proving to be an uncomfortable trip.

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**A/N:** Buffy has met Darth Maul and Obi-wan. Was it what you thought? Maybe, maybe not. But Buffy's got a long way to go and a lot of lessons to learn. Hate me for making the choice or don't. There are plenty of stories out there with a Super Buffy who can kick Darth Maul's ass. But that's just not what I wanted for her.

Either way, Buffy's going to begin her Jedi training soon, with all the hilarity, irritation, and anger that comes with it.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings. Remember to review. ^_^


	15. Chapter 14: A Troubling Revelation

**Chapter Fourteen: A Troubling Revelation**

He stood in front of the bacta tank, arms crossed over his chest, hands tucked into the folds of his robe. His mouth was pursed in a thin line as he stared at the lithe figure floating up and down in the thick green liquid. Obi-wan Kenobi was memorizing everything. His eyes measuring the curl of her hair as it bobbed against her cheek, the length of her nose, the line of her mouth, and he kept his attention on her face not wanting to feel untoward. Attachments were not the way of the Jedi and the feelings she created in him were unnerving.

It was like being confronted with Siri all over again.

The Force called to him from her and he could feel her mind as if it were his own. He could feel the wounds in her arm and leg shooting pain through his. It was both distant and distracting. Obi-wan lifted his hand from his robe and pressed it against the glass.

He found the Force Bond they shared strange.

Obi-wan had only ever learned of one kind of bond, that which was shared between master and apprentice. _But in all my years with Qui-Gon, I have never felt anything this strong._ And certainly not for a complete stranger. Such a thing was impossible.

Yet there it was, a link in the Force tied between them. In one glance Obi-wan had known the truth, she was the one the Force had pressured him to find. _So are you meant to be my student?_ He wondered. As a Padawan he could not take an apprentice. _And whatever Master Qui-Gon says, she is far too old to be a Jedi!_ Prospective students were always taken at a young age, no older than six years old. _This girl, she can't be older than seventeen standard years._

Obi-wan shook his head, trying to clear it of unpleasant thoughts. "The question is," he murmured. "Who are you?" Tapping his finger against the clear transparisteel of the tank. "And what does the Force want with you?"

He refrained from asking the fairly obvious question, the double entendre making him uncomfortable even in the empty medical bay. It made his skin crawl and his lower regions tingle. A Jedi was supposed to be above lust. He shook his head.

Obi-wan had chosen the Jedi lifestyle. It had been his dream since entering the Temple, even before beginning his training under Qui-Gon. He understood the Code and the rules of the Jedi Order. He had taken them to heart and made them his way. The Code was a part of him.

_There is no emotion, there is peace._

_There is no ignorance, there is knowledge._

_There is no passion, there is serenity._

_There is no death, there is the Force._

Attachment was forbidden. Obi-wan was well aware that attraction and lust often lead to feelings of jealousy and possession, emotions that could easily lead down a path to the Dark Side. Obi-wan was sure that there was nothing wrong with love by itself, but the excess feelings it inspired were dangerous for a Jedi. He had felt attraction before when he was younger. But in his experience it had always lead to tragedy.

Until Siri and even then, it had come to nothing.

And now, he was faced with this bond and it was with a girl. Who, Obi-wan was forced to admit, was very attractive for a human. Though she seemed to be one of the blander specimens of their race with none of her features indicating her planet of origin. She had hair the color of the Corellian sun and skin that had once been fair. Now it carried a darker tan and hints of red from sunburn, her nose was small and curved at the end, her cheeks were thin. She appeared to be slightly malnourished.

But Obi-wan had not yet spent time pondering that.

Once more, he tapped his finger against the transparisteel, wondering if she was as insane as she'd seemed. _She was badly wounded in the battle._ That would send anyone into shock and make them blither, making little sense. But Obi-wan sensed that there were deeper scars she carried still. _Ones that make her physical injuries seem like a bad Coruscanti punchline._ Pain rolled off her and though her face seemed peaceful, Obi-wan doubted her dreams matched her appearance. He was forced to admit though, that it was an efficient mask, hiding away her mind behind an impenetrable cloud and making it impossible to see beyond the surface later.

Not that he wanted to.

Obi-wan had asked the Medical Droid GH-73B to place her in the bacta tank two standard hours ago, and since then he'd spent most of his time trying to discern what he could. Specific questions about her origin, about why she'd jumped into a lightsaber battle like a mad suicidal idiot, her connection to the boy even though they shared no blood relation, he assumed could be answered when she awoke. For now, it was their strange bond that had overridden his thoughts.

_I'll have to find some way to sever it._ For his sake and for hers. _I'm no master and I cannot train you. I'm a Jedi and I cannot love you. But when you hurt so do I and I suppose that when I'm in pain, you will be too._

In the low lighting, Obi-wan turned and glanced out towards the darkness of the viewport. From the edge of the Outer Rim, their starship would take a day to reach Coruscant traveling through hyperspace. "GH-73B," Obi-wan said, glancing at the Medical Droid. "How long until the patient awakens?"

"Patient: Buffy Skywalker." GH-73B chirped rolling across the white floor, its head twisting to the side as bright lights flashed across its metallic skull. "Severe wounds to both right arm and leg, severed muscles and nerves in both wounds."

"Yes, but how long?"

"Two standard hours."

"I suppose I will just have to be patient." Obi-wan sighed. Patience was after all, the Jedi way.

Beside the Force bond, he had little interest in the two strays that Qui-Gon had brought home. _I want to have little interest in them. I have only known this girl for an hour and already she corrupts my thoughts._ His lips twisted into a sardonic smile. _I can only wonder what damage she will do in a conscious state._ Obi-wan was certain that she would be even more irritating when the time arrived.

"And perhaps this time, she will only be three hyperspace routes shy of crazy." He murmured, looking up at her face again.

There was a hiss and Obi-wan turned to see the door open on the far side of the room. He let out a calming sigh as he watched his Jedi Master enter the room. Qui-Gon stepped into the small, curved room of the Medical Bay, his hands at his sides and his expression one of concern. In it there was even hidden lines of marginal irritation. Moving his master outside the normal bounds of his calm was a great feat and Obi-wan wondered who had done it.

_No doubt the Queen._ Or the Handmaiden.

"I assume you have spoken to the Queen?"

"I told her all I could," Qui-Gon replied. "Though I doubt it was enough." He walked to Obi-wan's side. "How long have you been here?"

"Since I brought the girl in two standard hours ago." Obi-wan let his eyebrows rise towards his hairline. It was not like his master to be so forgetful. "I have been watching over her as you ordered me to."

"Ah, and I sense that it has been boring work." Qui-Gon said. A mild smile touched his mouth as he glanced at his Padawan.

"Yes Master," Obi-wan replied, his expression flat. "Watching a half naked woman float up and down for the better part of two hours is certainly one of the easiest assignments you've ever given me."

"And I had every faith you would perform your duty admirably, my young Padawan." Qui-Gon said. The smile remained fixed on his lips as he looked back at Buffy and Obi-wan suppressed a twinge of irritation. Was his master mocking him? "Have you run into any difficulties?"

Was that a question about his spiritual health? There was a double edge to that question, one which made him uncomfortable. Did Qui-Gon mean difficulties in getting the girl into the bacta tank or difficulties keeping her out of his thoughts? Obi-wan glanced at his master, wondering if Qui-Gon could sense the confused feelings of attraction within his breast, ones that no Padawan so close to completing his training should possess. He swallowed, keeping his face smooth of any expression and then smiled. It appeared he would have to set the record straight.

"Master," Obi-wan sighed. "Despite my volunteering to take the girl to Medbay, I assure you, I have no intention in charging up her loading ramp."

"I see. That is good. Your honesty is appreciated Obi-wan, but I merely wished to know if young Buffy was suffering from any complications." Qui-Gon replied.

Obi-wan fought the urge to gape.

"But now that you mention it Obi-wan, I must agree, she is quite an attractive girl. There is no shame in feeling some attachment after she fell into your arms. Just make sure to keep things on a friendly level." His smile widened under his beard and he stroked his dark moustache with two long fingers. "Put your mind at ease my young apprentice and know that you would not be the first Padawan to fail his training by falling in love."

"I believe the Jedi records still refer to it as 'pulling a Bindo', Master." Obi-wan said. He had his doubts about that phrase, it was still hard to believe, after all the knowledge the Jedi Order had lost, that it had stood the test of four thousand years. Though it remained highly amusing for those who caught it's meaning. _A bad joke about a bald man and a too long story_. "But since it is forbidden by the Code, the thought hadn't crossed my mind."

"Really, Obi-wan?" Qui-Gon asked, evaluating his pupil once more. "Then you shall make a better Jedi than I."

Obi-wan sucked in a small breath, deciding to steer the conversation to safer waters. "How is the boy?"

"He's resting." Qui-Gon replied, almost absently. He was still staring at the girl with appraising eyes. "Padme is looking after him."

"Ah," Obi-wan nodded. Tearing his eyes away from Buffy, he glanced at Qui-Gon. He knew that he must come to his master with any questions that were troubling him. He trusted in Qui-Gon's wisdom and knew that there were no secrets between master and apprentice. He took another breath and nearly blurted, "This question may seem strange, Master, but what do you know of Force Bonds?"

"I know little about them other than they are links formed between two people, made stronger if they are both Force sensitive. It allows for communication across great distances. It is most often a bond that develops over time between master and apprentice, growing stronger as their understanding of each other deepens. Sometimes they occur between family members. And in moments of death or near-death such a bond can develop." Qui-Gon looked at his apprentice. "But these are the basic teachings of the Order, I have never made a study of such bonds and therefore I cannot tell you of their impact. You and I share something similar to what I've described, but I sense that is not what inspired your question."

Obi-wan looked up at the face of Buffy Skywalker, a frown forming on his handsome features. "No." He said. He sighed, ready to reveal everything he'd been keeping close to his chest for the past few months. "I have felt a strong pull recently, a feeling that the Force wished me to find something, someone. But at the time we were busy on important missions from the Council and it never felt appropriate to bring it up."

"Yes," Qui-Gon nodded. "I was aware that something was bothering you. You're thoughts have been disturbed of late."

_But you trusted me enough to bring my problem to you._ Obi-wan felt a surge of gratitude for his master and held back a smile.

"Yes, master." He agreed. "My thoughts were troubled."

"And they have not calmed."

"No," Obi-wan shook his head. "Because now I seem to have formed a connection with this girl." He touched the transparisteel again. The metal was cold beneath his fingers. "I believe she is the one the Force wanted me to find, but I don't know for what purpose." He frowned. "I have never felt this close to anyone, Master. And I must confess, I find the intrusion of her mind…unnerving."

"An interesting revelation," Qui-Gon murmured. "Especially given all that has occurred."

"Master, do you…" Obi-wan trailed off. "Do you have any idea about what might be happening?"

"All things will be revealed in time, Obi-wan." Qui-Gon said. "We must be patient. The Force led us to Buffy and Anakin for a reason. But until it becomes clear, we will have to accept the information at hand. But I confess, I am as much in the dark as you."

"I am not ready to train a Padawan, Master."

"That may or may not be so, my dutiful apprentice. But we must remember that all things occur in their own time, Obi-wan." Qui-Gon repeated. "We will do what we must, when we must. I feel that this girl possesses some of the rarer Jedi gifts, whether that will be to her benefit or her detriment is a mystery."

"Gifts?"

"She has already shown a natural affinity for the Jedi Art of Battle Meditation, a Force power practiced by many of the ancient Jedi Masters and in more recent memory by Master Yoda. She does not realize it yet but it was her gift that helped her brother win the Podrace, the hyperdrive engine, and their freedom. I believe the two are capable of greater acts when they are together than when separated."

"So, she has a similar connection to the boy?" Obi-wan asked. He was not sure what to make of that. On one level he was relieved, but on another… _It makes her even more confusing._

"And to me." Qui-Gon nodded. "Though it is not as strong as either the one connecting her to young Anakin or the one that ties her to you." The Jedi master crossed his arms over his chest, his expression thoughtful. "I believe she possesses a natural gift for forming connections with those around her. But I do not know how that will affect her, the boy, or her future as a Jedi." He sighed, his voice taking on a resigned gentleness that Obi-wan rarely saw from his master. "I only know that these gifts combined with her potential are something that the Jedi Council must not ignore."

"You believe she is dangerous?" Obi-wan asked. He was surprised.

"I believe that if left to her own devices without the proper training and guidance of the Jedi that she will become dangerous, yes." Qui-Gon responded. "Past events in her life have scarred her heavily and left her untrusting. I'm sure that even without your bond you would have sensed that." Silently, Obi-wan nodded. "Already she walks an uncertain path. I feel that it will take only a small push to tumble her down into the Dark Side and if that happens, I fear she will be lost forever."

"And if that were to happen—"

"Then her fall may very well echo outwards, affecting those tied to her."

"The boy?"

"If she falls, he will fall with her." Qui-Gon fixed Obi-wan with a dark, impenetrable stare. "And perhaps you as well."

"I see." Obi-wan replied.

He kept his voice level, but inside his mind, his thoughts were racing. _How could such a strong connection have such effects? Surely, she is not already affecting me? Not in her comatose state._ But she was. He was aware of it now and he could feel the subtle shifts in himself. _She is dangerous._ Obi-wan had his own doubts about whether or not the girl should be trained. _And if she were to be, she will need a master like Qui-Gon, not one as inexperienced as I. I cannot train her._

"Do you know when she is scheduled to awaken?" Qui-Gon asked.

"The droid said it will be two standard hours from now."

"Good." Qui-Gon nodded. "I want you to remain with her until she does and attend to her, answer her questions as best you can." His master turned to go, leaving Obi-wan again filled with confusion. "Let me know on the comm if anything happens. I must see to young Anakin and inform him of his sister's condition. Even if she asks, do not inform her of our conversation, or her abilities."

"But Master, if she knows perhaps she can—"

Qui-Gon shook his head. "The time will come when we will tell her everything, but that time is not now."

"I understand, Master." Obi-wan fought to keep the sullenness out of his voice. He had no desire to stay here and watch over a comatose girl, especially one whose choices might very well make him fall to the Dark Side. _Such a thing is not possible._ He bowed respectfully to his master, his head dipping low before he straightened. "Is there anything else?"

"No." Qui-Gon smiled as he turned to go. Then, he glanced back at his student for a long minute, his lips curving wider with warmth and fondness. "You will do well, Obi-wan. Of this I have no doubt."

Then, there was another hiss as his master stepped out through the sliding doors and disappeared down the hallway.

Obi-wan wished his master had not said that. He turned back to face the girl in the bacta tank left alone with only his own cold thoughts and doubts for comfort.

_Who are you?_ His silent call traveled through the Force to her. But he received no response. Crossing his arms over his chest, Obi-wan leaned back against the table and closed his eyes. When left with nothing to do, there was always time for meditation.

Obi-wan frowned. He would clear his mind. No longer would he be troubled by distractions. He would be calm, at peace. He would be a Jedi.

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**A/N:** I really wanted to focus a chapter on Obi-wan since I hadn't yet, so here it is. Jedi secrets, Obi-wan's confusion, and more Qui-Gon. I love Qui-Gon, I really do and I hope I'm getting him right. Jedi are so hard to write sometimes, but the weight of responsibility, the fight to control their emotions, and what makes them what they are is so interesting that I just can't pull away from it. Lol. I seriously can't wait until Buffy's stuck in a similar predicament.

Anyway, I really hope that the Jedi all sound like Jedi because that's something that bothers me in a lot of fanfics. The Jedi are either getting short changed or their not behaving like Jedi.

For those that want to know (and have never played Knights of the Old Republic or it's sequel, both are games I highly recommend) the phrase "Pulling a Bindo" relates to Jedi Knight Jolee Bindo and his secret marriage to his Padawan. A tragic story really, but I love the joke and the phrase.

If you couldn't tell yet, I'm going to try to pull everything I know about Star Wars and all the Star Wars media I have into this story, from Jedi philosophy (black and white or black and grey) to the different worlds they'll travel to. I want to do my best to make this feel like the Star Wars Universe and that Buffy is actually in it. I want to look at the differences between being a Slayer and a Jedi. I want to focus on the dangers of the Dark Side, especially the danger to Buffy as having been a Slayer. Will Buffy fall? I don't know, I guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out.

Thank you everyone for the great responses you've given and the awesome feedback. I love every comment.

And a special thanks to ElizabethLin for saying this is one of the best SW crossovers she's seen. That really made my day. ^_^

Remember, review. And as always, there's more coming soon!


	16. Chapter 15: Irritating Irritability

**Chapter Fifteen: Irritating Irritability**

The J-type 327 silver Nubian starship shot through hyperspace, the inky blackness of space being broken by strafing stars and passing planets. In the depths of space it was cold and alone. By now, the ship was far from the Twin Sun solar system that contained a planetary sandtrap known as Tatooine. Fully repaired it had quickly left the galaxy's Outer Rim behind and shot inwards towards the Core Worlds, towards the capital of the Republic: Coruscant. But still, despite hours of travel it was far from reaching it's destination.

Inside the silver hull of the ship, its passengers went about their business in the darkness. Captain Panaka patrolled the hallways, keeping a close eye on the Queen and her handmaidens. Qui-Gon Jinn sat alone in meditation, his thoughts troubled as he considered the problems posed by both Anakin Skywalker and his sister Buffy, his mind searching for answers in the dark and for a way to relate his findings to the Council, to find the words that would reach them. His young Padawan, Obi-wan Kenobi was also in meditation, but his thoughts were focused on a different problem as he waited for his charge to awaken. Young Anakin Skywalker, unaware of the interesting case he represented was sitting with Artoo Deetoo and listening to the whirring astromech droid tell him stories.

And, unknown to all, young Handmaiden Padme Naberry stole into the conference room. Dressed once again in her orange robes, Padme spared a casual glance at the sleeping Jar Jar Binks. The alien was snoring softly through his gill-like nostrils, his head tilted back and feet kicked up on the conference table. With all the passengers now traveling aboard the vessel space was getting tight. There were not enough rooms for the crew, the royal entourage, the Jedi, and the spare tag-alongs that the Jedi had insisted on taking with them.

Padme herself felt that there was nothing wrong with that in particular. If Qui-Gon hadn't managed to free young Anakin, Padme herself would certainly have found a way back to Tatooine to barter his price and set him free. _His entire family too._ Including his irritating, foul mouthed, daughter of a murglack sister. _I don't know why she had to come with us._ Padme understood their debt to young Anakin, he'd helped them get the parts they need so that the mission could be completed. _So that my people can be saved._ But Buffy? _She didn't do anything!_ Except complain, she'd done a lot of that. _And stared at us like we were Geonosian pupe to be crushed beneath her boot._ She hadn't even helped Anakin build his Pod like Padme, Artoo, and Jar Jar had. _Instead she just cited something about being "tech toxic" and sat on a rock._

Anakin had won anyway and in Padme's opinion, it was in spite of Buffy not because of her. _Though Qui-Gon seems to think differently._ Many times during their journey through the horrible hive of scum and villainy that was Mos Espa, Padme had questioned the Jedi Master's judgment. He took unnecessary chances and had run the risk of stranding them on the planet permanently. _And the fact that he keeps being right is all the more frustrating._ Padme wanted to see Qui-Gon be wrong, just once.

Quietly, she slipped past Jar Jar the spun silk of her robes whispering across the cold floor. Silently, she knelt before the ship's console and pressed one of the central buttons, calling up the ship's most recent holorecords.

There was a soft whirring as the machine complied with her request. Seconds later there was a crackle of static and the see-through blue image of Governor Sio Bibble appeared before her.

"The death toll is catastrophic." He said. "We must bow to their wishes. You must contact me."

Then, as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone. Padme's eyes fell to the floor and for a moment her face was a mask of pain. Her people were dying, they needed her, and she was still a full standard day from Coruscant and any chance of help. Blinking back her tears, she heard a soft scuffle of movement to her right. Turning quickly, she saw young Anakin Skywalker huddled up against the curving inner wall and on the far side of the conference table.

He was gazing at her with solemn blue eyes and for a moment, Padme's heart went out to him. With his sister still in the Medbay receiving treatment for her wounds and Qui-Gon going about his business elsewhere, the young boy looked very lonely. _He's so far from home._ She thought, suddenly sad. _This must be his first time traveling through space._ She wondered if he'd tucked himself in here to keep from getting in the way.

"You all right?" She asked. Her voice coming out suddenly and overcoming the silence that had filled the recycled air of the cabin, beside her Jar Jar snorted in his sleep, mumbling something about little fishies and rolling over in the chair. Studiously, Padme ignored him. It was something she was getting good at.

"It's very cold." Anakin said. His voice trembled a bit as he looked at her.

Many worries filled his mind. Despite what Master Qui-Gon had told him, about his sister making a full recovery. Buffy still hadn't emerged from the bacta tank. The longer she remained in stasis, the more Anakin's worries began to build. What would he do if she died? He'd have failed to protect his sister and thus failed to do the only thing his mother had asked of him.

"_Look after your sister."_

His mother. He couldn't stop thinking about the sadness in her expression or keep himself from wondering if Watto was treating her right. He would free her someday, even if he didn't know how. He would, it was a promise.

And then there was this ship. In the thin fabric of his tunic and pants, ones he'd worn everyday when working for Watto, Anakin was freezing. He'd tucked his legs up to his chest as tightly as possible and wrapped his arms around them. Even that hadn't stopped the chill from creeping in. Even on the darkest of Tatooine's nights, Anakin had never felt so cold. This was new and it frightened him. He didn't know how to get warm.

Taking a blanket off the back of a chair, Padme walked around the table to kneel down in front of him. There was a small smile on her lips, because while Anakin had told her that she looked like an angel, his open and cherubic face made her heart fill with warmth. He was so innocent.

_And he looks so sad._ She wanted to cheer him up, the way she knew his big sister would. _Drat that Buffy for getting wounded. She should have been looking after her little brother. Qui-Gon could look after himself._ This wasn't the first time that Padme had felt Anakin's big sister needed to get her priorities in order.

"You come from a warm planet, Ani." She said, adopting the nickname she'd heard both Buffy and his mother use, as she tucked the blanket around Anakin's shoulders. "A little too warm for my taste." She smiled, leaning forward to put her hand on his chest. He seemed so small and vulnerable in his little ball. Padme decided that she would be here for him while his sister couldn't. "Space is cold."

"You seem sad." Anakin said. His blue eyes focused on her face intently and openly, he could practically taste her worries in the air. Glad as he was for the attention, Anakin felt that she was using him as a distraction for larger problems and he wanted to help her in whatever way he could.

Padme's eyes fell for a moment. The guise of comfort collapsing her expression as her thoughts drifted back to the Trade Federation and its occupation of her planet. "The Queen is worried." She said after a moment of thought. "Her people are suffering, dying, she must convince the Senate to intervene." Padme closed her eyes again, her own doubts threatening to swallow her as the price of failure hung heavily across her shoulders. "I'm not sure what will happen."

Anakin nodded for a moment. He had never been beyond Tatooine and while he listened to the stories spacers told him as they traveled through Mos Espa, he'd never really gained much knowledge about the problems facing the galaxy. It made him unsure of how to console her. He didn't like seeing her sad.

Beneath the softness of the blanket, his fingers played with the charm he'd been working on and felt the smoothness of bone against his palm. He'd been working on it in secret ever since their first meeting and, while he would never admit it, it was the first he'd ever made. He'd been inspired by the memory of an unnamed Spacer, who'd been working on something similar outside the Mos Espa cantina. The man had told him that presents from the heart were the best of all and that it was for a woman who was special to him.

"_So that when I'm across the galaxy slugging through gundark nests and fending off Force blasted mynocks, she'll have a piece of me with her and be able to remember. 'Till I'm with her again and then charms won't matter. Remember kid, you ever meet a special girl, give her somethin' of you. That way, you'll always be together."_

The words still echoed in his mind and the impressionable young man had taken them to heart. His eyes gazed at Padme, wondering if she would accept his gift and if it would help take her mind off her troubles. Even though he was young, Anakin wanted to see Padme's face filled with happiness and not clouds. _Buffy'd say I'm being stupidly sappy._ But right now, Anakin didn't really care what his sister thought. _I'm never gonna tell her I gave this to Padme anyway._

He pulled his hand out from under the blanket and handed its contents to Padme. "I made this for you." He said, trying to keep his voice firm instead of embarrassed. "So you'd remember me. I carved it out of a jiporsnit head, it'll bring you good fortune."

Padme turned over the smooth white charm in her hand, admiring the craftsmanship and the brown carvings that had been cut into the small surface. The unevenness of the cuts told her that it had been done by hand with some kind of small knife and she wondered if he'd been the one to braid the coarse fiber threads into braids to make it into some kind of bracelet.

"It's beautiful." She said in a soft voice and then looked at him with warm eyes. "But I don't need something to remember you by."

Anakin blushed at her warm smile and, pleased with himself, looked down. "Keep it anyway." He said, his voice a little gruff. "I mean, I might never see you again and I…" He trailed off, looking down at the blanket, his cheeks growing hotter. "I want you to have something of me to keep with you."

Padme sighed as she looked at him, her expression once more growing sad. She was fond of this boy and wanted to protect him, to care for him. She did not want him to become lost in the busyness that was Coruscant.

"Many things will change when we reach the capital, Ani." She said. Her voice was soft as she gazed at him. Lifting her free hand, she pressed it against his cheek, a small, comforting smile forming on her lips. "But my caring for you will remain."

"Care for you too." Anakin said. "Only I…"

"Miss your mother." Padme squeezed his shoulder gently. Knowing all too well how hard it must be for him to go without her.

***

Across the ship, Buffy Summers Skywalker floated in the thick green liquid of the bacta tank. Up and down, her eyes closed, a respirator strapped over her nose and mouth letting her breath easy as the microscopic organisms went about their work. The wounds in her arms and legs were being knit back together, the muscle tissue and severed nerves rebuilt. When it came time for her to be released, Buffy would not even have a scar to remind her of her foolishness.

But Buffy Summers Skywalker was unaware of any of this and the man who sat across from her tank, his mind deep in meditation. No, she was captured by darkness, the current carrying her down all too familiar paths.

Within the safety of the bacta fluid, Buffy Summers Skywalker dreamed.

They stood on either sides of the statue of Alcathla, their swords lifted and ready for battle. They were facing each other for the last time. Lovers turned to the cruelest of enemies, love forgotten, warped into pain and obsession. She could see his face. The face of her first love and her worst enemy. The smile she always loved curved his lips, but in it there was only mockery. It was as if, this time, he knew he would win.

_"My boy Kali here's about to wake up and you're goin' to hell."_ Angelus' voice purred through her memories.

Buffy lifted her chin defiantly. _"Save me a seat."_

_"Not gonna be so easy this time, Buff."_ Angel pointed his sword at her a leering grin. _"This time I brought a little help…"_

_"Yeah, well whatever it is can't be that tough."_ Buffy shrugged. _"After all, I think I just saw Spike take off."_

_"Which leaves just you, me, and…"_ Angel's mouth curved wider, his grin becoming predatory and his eyes gleaming with satisfaction and knowledge of victory. _"Him."_

Buffy froze. A crackling snap-hiss filled the air of the mansion and a dark red glow cast a long light across her feet. Angelus was laughing. Whirling, Buffy brought her sword up to face the phantom.

They were no longer standing in the mansion. No, the scene and shifted and Buffy felt the pull of sand around her feet, it was Tatooine. Angelus still laughing, Buffy faced her foe, staring intently into his dark yellow eyes, the black and red pattern of his face leaving his alien expressions in discernable. Buffy gulped.

"_I'm not afraid of you."_

The alien's lips spread into a wide smile, his teeth like knives. The blade of light flipped up in a bloody crescent, lighting the alien's face with a crimson glow. He took a step forward.

"_Now, now, Buff. This is your subconscious, we're all honest here."_

Her heart hammering in her throat, Buffy brought up her sword. With a weapon in her hand she was unstoppable. She was a Slayer. _"I wasn't me last time I faced him."_ She growled at Angelus. _"I didn't know who I was."_

_Slayer._ The word whispered through the Tatooine sands. _Slayer._

_"I can stop him now."_

_"So,"_ The challenge hung in the air. _"Stop him."_

Bringing her sword high with a yell, Buffy lunged across the sand, her shining blade prepared to meet his. A high cold laugh echoed across the Sand Dunes as Buffy brought her sword down on the red and black faced phantom. The brilliant red blade swung up, cutting through her strike and the sword. The pieces fell away in two. Buffy stared at the molten hilt of her sword in shock and lifted her eyes up to the phantom.

_"So, this is the strength of a Slayer?"_

The words murmured through her, making her heart hammer harder. His eyes were like a snake's holding hers. She had to stop him. She had to, the fate of the world, her mom, her friends, Giles; it all depended on her stopping him here and now. But what could she do? What could she do?

_"That all you got, Buff?"_

Buffy rushed forwards again, this time with only her hands. Balling them into tight fists, she sidestepped the swinging crimson blade and threw herself against the phantom. _I won't lose._ Her mind screamed as she drove him to the sands. _I won't lose! I won't!_ The blade seemed to drop from his fingers and roll across the yellow grains as the two of them fell to the ground. Buffy sat on top of him, pounding her fist against his face. He stretched out his hand and she watched, enthralled as the hilt of the saber flew across the dunes towards them. She reached out as the red blade sprang to life.

Then, there was only pain.

_The strength of a Slayer._

All the while Angelus laughed, his voice only an echo beneath the twin suns of Tatooine.

Buffy gasped, her knees banging against the cold wet floor. The caps throbbed and her skin ached as a cold breeze swept over her. Her skin shivered. Eyes jerking open Buffy clutched at her wet skin, feeling large globs of liquid sliding down her cheeks and clinging to her hair. Wide-eyed, she looked around, trying to get her bearings. She was in some kind of small room. It was dark as were the windows to the outside. Her ears twitched, listening to the whirring of machines. Above her, there was a cough.

She looked up, startled to see a handsome young man. He was not much older than she and was dressed in a set of blandly colored tunics and leggings, wearing a set of dark brown robes. He looked familiar.

"Ah, you're awake." He said. It was a statement not a question.

It was cold. "Who are you?" She asked. Buffy fought to keep her body from quivering, her lips trembling as her teeth chattered together. She couldn't keep her voice steady. "Where am I?" Was Anakin okay? Where was Qui-Gon Jinn? _What happened with that black and red faced alien?_ "You…you better tell me what happened to my brother or I'll beat you into next year!"

The young man stared at her, his expression nonplussed. There was a strange twinkle in his cool blue eyes as a tiny smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Is threatening me your only way of getting what you want?" He asked. "Because I must admit, it's working rather well." He lifted both his hands. "You have me terrified."

He was making fun of her. Her forcing her entire body to stop convulsing, Buffy straightened on the floor. Her legs and arms weren't functioning properly. They were shaking like they hadn't been used for weeks. Against her skin, her fingers balled into tight fists.

"That's not funny." She growled. Trying to stand, she glared up at him, only to find herself slipping back down to the floor as her legs gave out. "Tell me, where am I?"

"I would move more slowly." The handsome young man said. The smile had not left his lips nor had the twinkle in his eye, and he seemed to be enjoying this. "You're body suffered a great deal of damage and after a few hours in the bacta tank, it's grown accustomed to being weightless. It'll take some time before you're used to the feeling of gravity again."

"Great." Buffy grumbled. "So, I'm stuck here with you?" She peered up at him. "The smirking jerk who won't tell me his name."

"You never asked politely."

"You've got to be a Jedi." Buffy sighed. Scrubbing her forehead she tried to wipe away the green slime coating her skin. The realization brought a sense of relief and Buffy was glad to know that she wasn't anywhere new. She recalled now, Qui-Gon throwing her up onto the ramp of the moving starship while he fought the dark alien with the red glow-stick. "All that talk about politeness and patience when I'm sitting here freezing my perfectly toned, teen buttocks off."

"My name is Obi-wan Kenobi." He replied. Lifting a towel off the table behind him, he offered the white fabric to her. "I'm Qui-Gon Jinn's Padawan."

"Making you a Jedi-in-training-wheels." Buffy nodded. Qui-Gon had never mentioned having an apprentice. "Got it." She snatched the offered towel from his fingers and began to wipe her skin. Suddenly feeling a bit exposed sitting in front of him in just a bra and underwear, she swallowed. "Think you could turn around, Obi?"

"Jedi are trained to resist the lusts of the flesh." Obi-wan said. His voice filled with insufferable calm. "But if it would make you more comfortable." Slowly, he turned around. "I will oblige."

"Thanks." Buffy muttered. _Smoking hot? Check. Half-naked? Check. Cute boy? Check. Being completely shot down before any flirting can commence? Not so checked._ Wrapping the towel around her midsection, she glanced up at Obi-wan's back. True to his word, he was not looking at her. Hell, he wasn't even trying to catch her reflection in the viewport. _How embarrassing…_ "I don't suppose you know where I could find some clothes, do you Obi?"

A fresh set of clothes, complete with oatmeal colored tunic and oatmeal colored leggings were tossed over his shoulder. Buffy caught them and looked at them with a wrinkled nose. They looked comfortable. _But like always a total fashion disaster._ They seemed to be a smaller version of what he was wearing. Buffy swallowed and pulled the shirt over her head. It fell loosely across her bust and demolishing any chance she had of showing off her waist. _Get it together, Summers. You are not crushing on this guy._ No matter how cute and uninterested he was.

"Master Qui-Gon left them for you." He said, making it clear that he had no role to play in the gathering of her outfit. "When you're ready, I'll take you to him."

"That's sweet of Qui-Gon." Buffy replied, climbing to her feet. She bounced up and down as she pulled the trousers up over her hips and cinched them around her waist. The long sleeves of the tunic tumbled past her hands and she felt even smaller. "But I'd rather see my brother first, if you don't mind Obi."

Obi-wan gritted his teeth. _There is no emotion, there is peace._ He repeated to himself. _There is no passion, there is serenity._ He was a rock in the brook. The calming waters flowing all around him. _How many creds will I have to pay to make her stop calling me Obi?_ He wondered. Through the Force, he sensed that she was healthy enough.

"That's fine." He said. "I'll take you to him."

"Does that mean I can lean on you, Obi?" Buffy asked. "My legs are still a little shaky."

Teeth grinding together, his face a mask of impenetrable calm, Obi-wan offered the young woman his arm. He knew he was going to regret this. "If it means I can hand you off to someone else, then yes." He said.

Smiling, Buffy stood and wrapped her arms around his, pressing her body against him. She wasn't sure why she was teasing him. It mostly had to do with her own nature and the fact that he was implacable. Still, she also sensed that he was close to blowing a gasket and she wanted to know what it would look like when he lost his cool.

"Thanks so much, Obi." She said.

Obi-wan just sighed and helped her out of the Medbay. He couldn't wait for this trip to be over. _And her handed over to the Academy and me never having to see her again._ That was a sweet dream and one he kept in mind as they made their way down the hall. That way he wouldn't have to think about the curve of her breasts constantly brushing against his arm. He was not going to let her win.

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**A/N:** Buffy and Obi-wan irritate each other while the Jedi Council draws ever closer. Hope you enjoyed this update and are looking forward to the next one.

Remember to review!


	17. Chapter 16: Leaving the Past Behind

**Chapter Sixteen: Leaving the Past Behind**

With Obi-wan behind her, Buffy paused at the edge of the door to the conference chamber. Looking inside, she saw her brother sitting with Padme, a warm smile on his face. He looked content. She swallowed, feeling her dream hovering at the edge of her consciousness. Since waking up, she'd begun to start feeling things again. Emotions that weren't hers touched the back of her mind. Her fingertips seemed to brush against energy, life. It was driving her up a wall. She glanced over her shoulder at Padawan Obi-wan Kenobi. _The Force is doing to me what I'm doing to him._ She supposed fair was fair. Still, she had to admit: making Kenobi uncomfortable was fun.

Still, there was a time and place for everything. Swallowing what was left of her breath, she exhaled softly and moved away from the door. She didn't need to see Anakin right now. _I'm not going to worry him with troublesome memories._ She could deal with Angelus and her life before on her own. _I mean, I'm still lost in a galaxy far away._ She'd never told anyone about how she got here, but she remembered Qui-Gon's offer. His desire to know about her and her past, she knew that he wanted to help her. _But can I trust him?_ So far, he hadn't done anything to hurt her or Anakin. In fact, he'd helped them. _But is he doing this because he wants something from us? From me?_ Qui-Gon wanted her to become a Jedi, he believed she had the potential. _He wants me to be like Obi._

"Hey," she called. "Obi-spaghedellyodi."

"If you continue having trouble pronouncing my name, perhaps you should just call me Padawan?" Obi-wan replied. His voice was calm but Buffy could hear the irritated edge cracking beneath the surface and grinned.

"Sure thing, paddle boy." She said. "I'll do anything to make you happy."

Obi-wan frowned at her. "Have you always been this contrary?" He asked. His mouth had become a thin line and his arms were hidden in the folds of his robe, his gaze was implacable as he met her eyes.

"Yeah, pretty much." Buffy nodded. "I never was good with authority." She paused and shrugged. "Of any stripe, really."

A memory of the African Slayer flashed before her eyes. _That was always Kendra's thing._ She'd been so jealous of the way she'd hit it off with Giles. But Kendra was dead, lying on the floor of the Library and Buffy was still accused of being her murderer. Not that she'd ever get the chance to go back and prove her innocence. _Drusilla killed Kendra._ So that they could steal Giles. _I should have seen it coming._

"Are you all right?" Obi-wan asked.

Buffy felt his fingers squeezing her shoulder and she glanced up at him wide-eyed. "Sorry," she mumbled. "Must've zoned out for a second."

"Anything you'd like to talk about?" His gentle voice was like a caress against her painful memories and Buffy stared at him.

"You don't have to be nice to me, you know."

"Kindness, charity, and humility are all traits Jedi aspire to." Obi-wan replied. "I'd be a horrible Jedi if I ignored someone in pain." He paused, a small smirk gracing his features. "Even if she does happen to be more annoying than a ship full of gizka." And with those words he rapped his knuckles against the top of her head. "So, are you going to talk to your brother or will you go see Qui-Gon?"

_I'd rather talk to you._ That was what Buffy wanted to say. When Obi-wan was around he lightened the pain and helped the memories fade to the back of her consciousness. But Buffy knew that she could never say something so weak. _Love always turns bad anyway._ Angel's face hovered before her eyes and then she blinked him back into obscurity. It wasn't an option.

"Qui-Gon." She said. "Anakin seems fine and there'll be time to tell him about my recovery after he wakes up." It was strange. She didn't really feel like disturbing him. _Even though I really don't like Padme._ Or the fact that Anakin was crushing on her. She swallowed. _Gotta face the past eventually._ And it would be better to tell Qui-Gon why she couldn't be a Jedi. _Before he brings me up before his council._ She'd been born a Slayer, she wasn't meant to be a Jedi.

"Very well." Obi-wan nodded. "Come with me."

Together, the two walked down the curving passageways of the J-type 327 Nubian Royal Starship. Obi-wan nodded his greetings to Panaka as the security chief made his rounds. Buffy merely stuck close behind the Jedi Padawan. She didn't want to touch anything. The memories from Tatooine were all too vivid. She could still see the sparking droid parts and feel the heat of a sensor disk as it blew up in her face. Buffy could not be trusted near open circuitry and she was partially certain that her very presence on this vessel would cause it to crash. She said as much to Obi-wan when he motioned for her to open the door to Qui-Gon's quarters.

Obi-wan laughed. "I doubt you'll break the door by touching a button."

Buffy glared at him. He clearly thought she was some superstitious, backwater hick from the Outer Rim. _Which is kinda true._ "I'm serious." Buffy snapped. "Anything I touch breaks."

"And you believe that if you touch one little button, you'll blow up the entire ship?"

"Duh!" Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the door. "You open it."

"Oh, I don't think so." Obi-wan said. "It would be good for you to overcome these silly superstitions here and now."

"No."

"Yes." Obi-wan said. His hand snaked out of his robe, catching her by the wrist. She tried to jerk away but he held her tightly. He was close enough that she could smell him. He was fresh and clean where she smelled sterile like bacta. She didn't like him being so close. His other hand was on her shoulder in an instant and he was stretching her fingers towards the entry pad that unlocked the door. "If you want to see Qui-Gon, you're going to have to open the door."

"Stop it, Obi." Buffy yelped. "You'll crash the ship." She pushed backwards against him while he strained her arm forward.

"Oh, I don't think so." Obi-wan replied. "If you're going to live on Coruscant, you're going to have to get used to tech. You can't go through your whole life believing you'll break everything you touch."

"Yeah, well, despite whatever Jedi wisdom you wanna use, sometimes you're not always right."

"We'll never know who's right until you open the door." Obi-wan paused for a moment, a wicked smile tugging at his mouth. "Puffy."

"What did you call me, Obi?"

"If you insist on continuing this childish charade then you'll have to live with the nickname I've given you, Puffy."

"I don't think teasing is considered acceptable Jedi behavior, Obi."

"As Master Yoda constantly reminds me: Not yet, a Jedi you are."

"So, this is you saying you'll call me what you want? That is so not cute."

Obi-wan only responded with a small curve of a smile.

There was a hiss as Buffy's fingers pressed against the pad and the door slid open. Obi-wan dropped his hold on her and wiped the grin from his face as he looked up into the knowing eyes of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. He was staring at them, an amused smile tugging at his lips and though his face was stern, his eyes were twinkling.

"Obi-wan," He said, his voice placid and droll as his hands disappeared into the sleeves of his robes. "You have already expressed a disinterest in young Buffy's loading ramp. Now would not be the best time to go back on your word."

Buffy felt her face burn a hot red. She wasn't completely sure what Qui-Gon was suggesting, but the comment about her "loading ramp" sounded horribly like a double entendre. Did Jedi do double entendres? They all seemed too serious for that.

"Don't worry, Mister Qui-Gon." She said. "I don't think… I mean… I'm sure Obi doesn't want to do _that_. I mean… He's a Jedi… Right?"

The thoughtful pause that came after was not reassuring. Nor was the way the Jedi Master smiled and stroked his moustache. He looked…_amused_!

"I was just helping Buffy overcome her fear of technology, Master." Obi-wan broke in, his voice matching Qui-Gon's blandness for blandness as he forced any embarrassment back into the depths of his mind. "But now that she's here, I will check with the cockpit to make sure the navicomputer still has us on route for Coruscant." He gave Buffy another wry smile. "We wouldn't want the ship falling out of space, now would we."

"Shut up!" Buffy growled. She crossed her arms over her chest sullenly and glared at the floor. Her cheeks were still a rosy red and she couldn't seem to cool them. _God, this is so embarrassing!_ Giles had never had the nerve to comment on her sex life! He'd always wanted to stay as far away from the subject of teenagers as possible. _Those were the good ole days…_

"See that you do." Qui-Gon told his Padawan. With a quick bow, Obi-wan backed down the corridor and disappeared from sight. Qui-Gon shook his head slowly. He was amused by his Padawan and he felt no lingering worries. "Don't worry, young one." The Jedi Master said, patting her head. "I'm sure Obi-wan meant nothing by it. Jedi are trained to resist their base lusts and he is no exception."

"Right, yeah, sure." Buffy muttered. "Of course not. It was perfectly innocent."

"Do you like him?"

"No!" Buffy exclaimed. "No way! I don't like guys like him. He's rude, insensitive, arrogant, and he hides everything behind that irritating patient sarcasm! Ugh! He's awful!"

She crossed her arms over her chest. _And anyway, there's what happened with Angel._ It'd been so long and she'd been through so much. It was kind of hard to believe that she could still be distracted by a pretty face. _But I'm Buffy right?_ That was what she did. _And Obi is majorly drool worthy… _She paused, surprised. The old high school slanguage seemed to come flying back. _Ugh! I did not just think that. What happened to cold emotionless Buffy? One guy should not be enough to make me all flirt happy!_ She stared down at her feet, sucking in a deep breath and trying to get her mind on the reason she'd come. Buffy had something she needed to discuss with Qui-Gon, something important.

Qui-Gon chuckled. He was glad to see the young woman's spirits up and her feeling so candid. He wondered if this was what she'd been like before she'd come to Tatooine. Before a great weight had been lain upon her shoulders. "Well then," he smiled. "May I ask what caused you to seek me out?"

"Nothing," Buffy began, linking her hands together behind her back. "Really, I just wanted to tell you something." She looked down at the ground and then up at the Jedi Master. "I, um, I don't think…" She trailed off, swallowed and then stared him in the eye. "I don't think I can become a Jedi Knight."

One glance at her told Qui-Gon that it was time to discuss her past. He stepped back and spread his hand, indicating that she should come in. "Come inside, we shall discuss what's troubling you."

Buffy nodded and hurried past him into the small room.

She came to a stop in front of the viewport, staring out into the blackness of space, her eyes trying to chase the light of the stars as they shot past them and she wondered for a moment if they were passing Earth. In her chest, her heart squeezed and she bit her lip, remembering the dream. All the goodwill she'd felt since meeting Obi-wan came crashing down around her, drowning her in the same darkness of space. She reached out and pressed her fingers against the cool transparisteel, closing her eyes.

_Amazing._ For the first time in a year, she'd felt… light, maybe almost happy. Flirting with Obi-wan, it'd been like she was back at SunnyDale High again, crushing on a guy. _Like Owen._ She swallowed, her throat tightening as the taboo name floated into her mind. _Like Angel._ Heated tears swam immediately to her eyes and she blinked them away, crossing her arms over her chest. She felt the soft brush of the fabric against her arms as overhead the recycled air whirred through the vents. She squeezed her eyes shut. _I can do this._ After all this time she wasn't going to fall apart. _I've been strong. I don't need anybody._ But…

Buffy looked back over her shoulder at Qui-Gon. The Jedi Master had moved through the shadows of the room, his expressions hooded by the gloom. He was watching her carefully, his hands tucked into the folds of his robe, his posture indicating indefinite patience and understanding. Buffy felt warm.

When had he started to matter so much? She wondered. _When did I start caring about what he thought?_ She wanted to get the facts straight with him. She didn't want him to believe she was something she wasn't. _I'm a Slayer, not a Jedi._ But looking at him, well, it was like being faced with Giles all over again. The bloody face of her mentor flashed in front of her eyes. _I failed him too._ She hoped that Xander had gotten him out safely. _I hope he's still alive._

The silence hung in the air between them, gentle and light, not heavy. Buffy felt like she had all the time in the world, no pressure building up inside her. No reason to just blurt out. She glanced at Qui-Gon's face and realized with surprise that he was waiting for her. Maybe he'd always been waiting for her.

"I wanted to talk with you," she began. "Because I want you to understand." She swallowed. "I mean; I want you to understand me." She looked down at her feet and then up at him again. "I don't know why I care about this so much. I mean; I barely know you and I don't really trust you. But you seem to want something from me and while that's kinda not new, a lot of people have wanted something from me, I want you to know what I am." She swallowed. "What I was anyway." Her fingers tugged at the knitted fabric of her sleeves and she tried to imitate his posture, she felt so out of control. The words just kept tumbling out. "I've never told anybody here about who I was before." She blinked. Their faces were so close now, at the edge of her vision, it felt like she could almost reach out and touch them. Maybe make them real again. "I never told anybody." She repeated. "Not Mom, not Anakin. It never really mattered with them. They loved me the same no matter who I was or what I'd been." Buffy looked up at him again, her eyes searching for his. "But I want you to know."

"I am honored you feel that way, Buffy." Qui-Gon replied. His voice was gentle, like the voice of a father reassuring a young child. "I would be glad to listen to your story." He drew a single hand from his robe and gestured towards the two, sloped chairs facing each other on either side of a small chrome table. "Shall we sit?"

"I'd rather stand." Buffy replied.

"Whatever will make you most comfortable."

"But you can sit if you want."

"Thank you." Qui-Gon smiled. He moved out of the darkness to take a seat in the chair. "I'm afraid my old bones aren't what they used to be and after today's excitement I could use the rest."

Buffy opened her mouth, wanting to tell him that he didn't look that old. She remembered the way he'd fought, his movements almost faster than her eyes could follow, his body shifting with a cat's deadly grace, his green blade arcing around his body as if it naturally belonged there. He had done so much better than she and Buffy was at least a quarter of his age.

She sucked in another breath and looked away from him, back out into space. She felt like a coward doing it, ashamed that she couldn't face him head on. The image of the dark alien in the black robe swinging his shining blade danced in her eyes. He had defeated her so easily. _I could barely put up a fight._ But that wasn't the real problem.

"When I'm done with my story." Buffy added. Her voice soft, she had promised her mother that she'd look after Anakin. He was the only family she had left. _I won't lose him too._ She stared directly into his warm blue eyes. "You'll know why I can't be a Jedi."

"Perhaps," Qui-Gon said, leaning back into his seat. His senses as well as his eyes examining her, feeling the tense knotted emotions bottled up around her. She felt ashamed, worried, sad, and angry. Everything he'd found before. But… no, this time there was something else. Hope. "You will leave that to my judgment at the end of your story."

"Whatever you say," Buffy said, almost glumly. "I'm pretty sure I know what you're answer's going to be."

"How can you be sure of that?" Qui-Gon asked. There was a gentle, amused smile tracing the corners of his mouth. "The future is a hard thing to predict young Skywalker, it is always in motion. Perhaps you will find that it and I can surprise you, if you only keep an open mind."

"More sage wisdom?" Buffy asked with a smile. "And it's Summers by the way." Her last name felt strange being spoken aloud, not as if she was rejecting everything that Shmi and Anakin had given her, but that she was accepting the part of herself that she'd left so far behind.

"Summers?"

"Who I was before the heat, the sand, and the slavery." Buffy said. "That was my name. Buffy Summers."

"Who we once were," he said. "Is a powerful thing."

"I guess." She replied. Buffy wasn't really sure what that meant, but she took it as a sign that she should continue. "I don't know how I ended up here, but that's the end of the story and I should start at the beginning right?" He nodded and she sucked in another breath. "So, where I come from, the planet I'm from, it's a lot different than here." She laughed. It was a dry laugh and an empty one. "I mean, we haven't even mastered space travel and the only aliens we've met are the ones they show to us in movies and television." She blinked, knowing that the word wouldn't translate for him. "Like holovids," Buffy added. "Except on a screen with a cord and… that's not important to this story." She shook her head, berating herself for being stupid. She could practically here Angel still laughing at her, mocking her. "But there before I was here, well, I was a normal girl, I mean I grew up normal, then I turned fourteen and something happened."

She remembered sitting on her High School steps in Los Angeles and a portly man walking up to her, telling her she was special. He'd been her first watcher and he had died. She'd burned down her school gym, her parents had gotten a divorce, their marriage unable to take the added strain that came with her sneaking out every night and constantly getting into trouble. That was when her second life had begun.

"I became the Slayer."

Qui-Gon leaned forward, an expression of interest lighting his features. His hands were still tucked into his robes and he stared at her, his eyes suddenly appraising. This was the source of her pain. The weight of her burden, the one she no longer wore draped across her shoulders. But it was still there, he could see it hanging across her neck, a phantom of the past. If she were to move forward, she would have to put these ghosts to rest and leave them behind her. He knew that would be a difficult thing.

"On my planet we have evil creatures, vampires, demons they call them, that prey upon the people who live normal lives. And we have a person they call the Chosen One. One girl in all the world who is called to fight these monsters, to protect the normal people and their normal lives, a person who saves the planet from destruction." She shook her head. "I know it doesn't mean much to you, it probably doesn't even make sense. I mean; things are so different here. You don't have those kinds of problems, you've got other ones." She swallowed, her mouth dry. "Bigger ones probably. A whole galaxy full of them."

"Size matters not." Qui-Gon said. "It is a quote from one of my old Masters." He tapped his finger on the smooth surface of the chrome table. "What is important to remember, Buffy, is that these problems were, and still are, large for you. For now, put the thoughts of the galaxy from your mind and tell me your story." He smiled. "I promise I will listen with an open mind."

_Yeah, sure,_ she thought. _You probably think I'm crazy._ But his words convinced her to keep going. "Yeah?" She laughed. "And about five minutes after that you'll be dragging me away to the funny farm, right?" When he didn't respond, Buffy sighed. It hurt to admit that he'd been dead on. "You're right," she murmured. "It was big to me. Being a Slayer was my whole life and much as I didn't want to admit it, much as I tried to pretend it was just a job, just something I was forced into doing 'cause no one else could…"

She trailed off, Kendra's face swaying before her eyes. The African Slayer who she'd only met twice. The Slayer she'd gotten killed. She remembered finding Kendra's body on the floor of the library, her throat slit and her life's blood bled out across the floor. Kendra: the girl who could have become her best friend. The one who'd known Buffy even better than Buffy had known herself.

"_You talk about slaying like it's a job. It's not. It's who you are."_

"But it was who I was."

Slowly, Buffy moved away from the viewport. She sat down in front of Qui-Gon, blue eyes on blue eyes, one leg crossed over the other. She gazed at him intently. Then, Buffy began to tell him the whole story. About being a Slayer, about Angel, about Giles, her friends, her mother. About falling in love with a vampire, about how he'd become her greatest enemy, about how he'd killed Jenny Calendar and tortured her friends. They talked for hours and hours, until Buffy's voice grew hoarse and she lost track of time. She was just reliving every moment, the words tumbling out of her mouth, tears seeping out of her eyes and down her cheeks. Finally she came to the end, the final fight with Angel before the Acathla demon statue, her last fight to save the world.

"He came back." She said. "Right at the end, but by then it was too late. The world was about to be lost. So, I…" Her throat clenched. Once again the face of Angel, the man she loved was in front of her eyes. The joy and confusion in his face as he gazed at her, having no clue of what he'd done or what she was now forced to do. "I hugged him, I told him I loved him. I said 'close your eyes' and then I…" The tears were coming so fast now, leaving her lids hot and swollen. Buffy couldn't bring herself to look at Qui-Gon. "I ran him through and I watched…" She looked up. "I watched the man I loved being dragged down to hell." She rubbed her eyes. "Then, then there was a flash of light and I wished, well I wished I could be anywhere but there." She sucked in a deep breath. "And then I was." Buffy shook her head. "On a planet with two suns and way too much sand. I was captured, sold to Watto, and…" She shrugged. "Well, I guess you know the rest of the story."

"You have walked a hard road, young Skwalker." Qui-Gon said. "Harder than most your age."

"I'm not the Chosen One anymore, you know." Buffy said. "When I landed here I lost a lot of the things that made me special, my gifts." She blinked, realizing that he hadn't called her Summers, he'd said Skywalker. "Why did you call me that?" She asked. "I told you, that's not my name."

"I disagree, young one." Qui-Gon replied. He leaned back into his chair trying to process the long strange story she had told him, but through it all one thing had become clear. "Buffy Summers is who you were, Buffy Skywalker is who you are." He lifted a finger as she opened her mouth to protest. "I am not saying that who you were is to be forgotten, you must accept your past and the mistakes you made. But the past is the past, Buffy, no one, neither Jedi nor one of these Slayers is strong enough to remake it. You have already spent too much time living in it at the expense of the present. The time has come for you to move forward." He smiled. "It will not be easy, but from what I've seen and heard, you accustomed to great difficulties." He held out a single hand for her to shake. "And if you will allow it, I would like to be there to help guide your way, to help you find a new road."

"I told you," Buffy began. "I'm not like you. I'm full of anger and I'm afraid all the time. I can't be a Jedi."

"That is true." Qui-Gon agreed. His hand remained extended towards her, an offering of guidance and peace. "But you can learn to control these emotions, Buffy, they do not have to rule you. A Jedi is one who has learned to master their feelings, to think with a clear mind, and one who lives in service to the Force, who walks with it as their ally. As I told you it is not an easy path to walk, but despite, and perhaps even more because of what you have shared with me, I believe it to be one you are well suited for." Buffy stared at his hand in disbelief. This was not the response she'd been expecting. "Come with me to the Jedi Temple, Buffy Skywalker." He smiled.

Buffy looked up at him, feeling her great burden lifting for the first time. Even if it was only a moment, she felt strong again. Ready. With Qui-Gon, her new Giles by her side, she felt that she could do anything. She trusted him. _What a surprise._

Suddenly, she grinned. "Okay," Buffy said and grabbed his hand, gripping tightly and giving it a thorough shake. "Why the hell not."

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**A/N:** Sorry it took so long to get this update out, I mean, I do have other stories that require my attention. ;)

In this chapter I wanted to do a bonding moment between Buffy and Qui-Gon, to help her leave the past behind. She needed to realize that she trusts Qui-Gon more than she ever thought she did, even if she doesn't really know what to make of him. I hope this reveal made sense and hit you where it was supposed to. I've read some really bad ones and I didn't want this one to be like that. I wanted Buffy to be honest, something that's hard for her and something she hasn't done in a while.

Anyway, now that it's done we can move onto Coruscant, Palpatine, and the Jedi Council. You know what fun all those things are!

And remember to review. Every single one means a lot to me, even if I don't reply to all of them. They make me excited, keep me writing, and get these updates out faster so you can enjoy.

Feed my muse and I'll feed you.

Till next time.


	18. Chapter 17: Coruscant

**Chapter Seventeen: Coruscant**

Coruscant. A planet completely covered by city. A world once called Notron in the days before the formation of the Galactic Republic, it is known throughout the galaxy as the Queen of the Core. It has been the hub of galactic politics for over 20,000 standard years. From outset of space this Galactic Center remains a blaze of light, never dying nor fading, forever sparkling like a world full of corusca gems, the stone from which Coruscant takes its name.

The lights come from the kilometer high skyscrapers that sprawled in the cities across the planet's surface. The city has dwarfed all of Corscant's natural oceans and mountains hiding them away beneath layer upon layer of duracrete and plasteel. Segregating a population of over a hundred billion by class and station. There is the Undercity, where the planetary scum reside, making a home amongst the still existing wildlife, clawing out a place to survive. The Lower City, a hive of scum and villainy if there ever was one. It is the place the least reputable of Coruscanti call home. Here exist the thieves, the Pod racers, the thugs, the scoundrels, and those who are down on their luck. Those who are unable to afford housing that allows them to see the sky. Then, there is the Upper City. Where the Jedi Council sit in their stone temple and the Senators pass laws that change the face of the galaxy, where the rich and the privileged live. The ones who try to forget about the less reputable citizens living thousands of stories below.

This was the planet of change, a planet of destiny, and Buffy Skywalker's destination.

The Nabooan Royal Star Cruiser swooped down for an easy landing on one of the diplomatic docking pads. There a contingent of stood waiting on ceremony for the Queen's arrival. Stretching out its legs, there was a hum of its engines as the sleek ship settled on the large gray, durasteel circle. The ship was abuzz with activity as everyone prepared to disembark. In rush of excitement, Buffy stayed close to Anakin. Together as the ramp lowered, they followed after the two Jedi, the queen and her entourage behind them. They walked side by side with Jar Jar Binks, who would be looking after them while Qui-Gon and Obi-wan went to speak to the Council.

Overhead, the air hummed with an electric buzz made from thousands of engines. The sky was filled with lines of speeders, airships, and transports both large and small as they swerved through the tall skyscrapers that punctured the atmosphere. They screamed and roared as they whizzed past the platform, ignored by the small party waiting at the end of the landing pad.

Buffy, however, could barely tear her eyes away from the magnificent sight. She'd never seen anything like it, not on earth or Tatooine. _And I never thought those spacer stories Anakin would feed me could be true._ At the time they'd seemed so fantastic and Buffy realized that she was only beginning to come to terms with the mind blowing wonders of this strange galaxy. _A galaxy where the only topographical features of planets are deserts and entire cities, it really does make Earth look kinda dull like Laura Palmer to a damn good cup of coffee._ But the ships and space travel made Earth look like a backwater Hicksville, so who was she to start counting?

She gripped Anakin's hand tightly in her own, ignoring his protests as they walked down the ramp. She was careful to walk close behind the Jedi and tried to keep her wondering glances to a minimum. She didn't want to have Obi-wan turn around and rub more salt into her wounded pride. _And he would so do it too._ She thought. He hadn't liked his babysitting duty and he seemed to take pleasure in teasing her. Drool worthy as he was. She found him insufferable and ever since her conversation with Qui-Gon, Angel's face kept popping up to replace his. _Love is so out of the picture right now._ But Obi-wan was cute and it was fun to tease him. _Even superficially._

She wished Willow was here, she'd understand cutie boy gut spillage. Buffy found her eyes searching the blue skies of Coruscant once again, her stomach tightening with the realization that these clouds were just like Earth's. No comparison could have reminded her more clearly just how far she was from home.

Her eyes followed the two rows of black robed guards in feathered Spartan helmets as they lined up on either side of Buffy's small party. Her heart beat quickening a little at the staffs crooked in each soldiers arm. After counting them, she swung her gaze forward to the two men standing side by side at the back of the platform. Both were very old and dressed in long black, high collared robes. One was shorter than the other, stockier with lines around his eyes and a long pointed nose. The other was tall and thin, his balding head complete with a few smoothed white hairs. His hands were tucked behind his back and his chin was lifted regally. Buffy wondered if he was some kind of King like the Queen they traveled with.

_The pilot said something about a Senator Palpatine and a Chancellor when we landed._ She supposed that these were them. _The head honcho and the big cheese of these parts._ Compared to her surroundings, Buffy didn't find either man all that impressive. But she joined the Jedi in their bow, forcing Anakin's head down with her. For the moment, she supposed, it was best not to be rude. Then, she pulled Anakin back, her fingers brushing against the folds of Obi-wan's robe as the Queen walked by. Apparently they were of little interest to these two galactic hotshots.

"It is a great gift to see you alive, your Majesty." The shorter one, whom Buffy guessed must be Senator Palpatine, said. "With the communications break down, we've been very concerned."

As his sister gazed at the sky, Anakin watched the face of Padme Naberrie hidden away in her orange cowl. He felt his small heart leap as she glanced his way, a reassuring smile gracing her lips. Anakin had spent more time with her during the voyage than he had his sister, who after waking up from the bacta tank had talked with Master Qui-Gon for many hours. He'd grown close to Padme, fond of her, and his heart sank with the thought of being separated from her. She was one of the few kind faces he'd gotten to know and even though she always managed to get on the wrong side of Buffy, he liked her. He liked that she never backed down from his sister. His fingers wriggling in Buffy's hand, Anakin smiled up at Padme. He felt warm when hers widened a little in response.

"I'm anxious to hear your report on the situation." The Senator continued. He held out a hand to indicate the man next to him. "May I present Supreme Chancellor Valorum."

"Welcome your Highness." Chancellor Valorum said. "It's an honor to finally meet you in person."

Silently, Buffy began tuning out the howdy-doos. They were not important to her, whatever troubles Naboo had weren't her problem, just like Padme's mistress had none of her loyalty. Buffy was here to protect Anakin and, as she'd discussed with Qui-Gon, find a new road. The problems of the galaxy were beyond her and she had no intention of being swept up in them. She wanted to keep Anakin safe and, if she had to, train with him to become a Jedi.

Buffy still had doubts about whether or not this was a path she should take. _I've seen what Jedi can do._ If that creature they'd fought had indeed been some kind of Jedi. _Qui-Gon said he was trained in the Jedi arts._ And what he'd told her still weighed heavily on Buffy's mind. _Only a trained Jedi with the Force as his or her ally stands a chance against the likes of him._ That had been Qui-Gon's way of telling her that she wasn't ready yet. Not that Buffy needed any reminders, even after the bacta treatment her arm and leg still occasionally stung. _Though that med-droid said it was phantom pain._ She'd healed perfectly.

She felt Jar Jar's hand on her back and looked up to see the group moving once again, following Anakin and Padme, she glanced over her shoulder to see the Jedi bringing up the rear. Qui-Gon had told her that they would be separated upon reaching Coruscant and that he would send for both her and Anakin when it was time go before the Council. _But I didn't think it would be so soon!_ Silently, she turned back and followed the line.

Obi-wan's eyes followed her for several moments as she disappeared behind black and orange silk. As she moved away, he could feel the bond they shared begin to lessen its grip on his mind. Now he'd found her, it seemed that the Force had nothing else it needed from him. Besides their irritating link, Obi-wan was not frustrated in the same way he had been. With Buffy onboard the star cruiser, it had been easier to go through his calming meditations and to reestablish his mental balance. In the few conversations they'd had, Obi-wan had found that he enjoyed their banter. Though the young woman had seemed withdrawn and distant at times, even after the conversation she'd had with his master. Obi-wan found himself wondering what the two had spoken of. But he had no wish to intrude on Qui-Gon's privacy, nor into young Buffy's secrets. The less of her in his life, Obi-wan believed, the better.

He hoped that Siri Tachi, a close friend from his Padawan days would be at the Temple. She and her master, Jedi Adi Gallia had been on assignment in the Outer Rim for the past several months. The two had cemented their friendship and their feelings for one another on a mission several years previously. But it was a subject Obi-wan kept close to his breast and after knowing the pain of one love he was determined to never fall again. No matter how the Force nagged him.

He tore his gaze away from Buffy Skywalker as she leaned over the edge of the platform. Obi-wan could only imagine what she must be seeing. _It's hardly a surprise; most people are astounded by the depth of the Upper City._ He buried any worries that she might fall off the edge, if she did, so much the better for him. _I don't mean that._ But he wanted to. Oh, how he wanted to.

"I must speak with the Jedi Council immediately." Qui-Gon said, distracting Obi-wan from his worried thoughts. "The situation has become much more complicated."

_A masterful understatement._ Obi-wan thought. _Between the two desert natives and the strange Force wielder, things have gotten more complicated than the wrinkles of a Hutt's backside. _Obi-wan smirked. _And about as desirous._ But as he'd learned throughout his long apprenticeship… _Complications are a way of life._ One had best get used to them.

A cold hand settled on Buffy's shoulder as she stared down into the abyss of windows and duracrete walls. She nearly jumped, looking up into the friendly, well-lined face of the Naboo Senator. _What's his name again?_

"Be careful, my dear." The Senator said. "We wouldn't want you to slip and fall."

"Long way down, huh?" Buffy asked.

"Hours." He replied with a thin smile. "Ending in an unpleasant death."

_When is death ever pleasant?_ She wondered, staring into his watery eyes. He had a politician's face. There was a sense of orderliness in the lines of his face. He seemed so self-assured, in control, but approachable. For all that his visage hid secrets away, it was also open to questions. He felt approachable. _Like a mix of Snyder and Miss Calendar._ Well, there was a horrifying combination. The image of Snyder's face on Miss Calendar's body floated in her mind's eye. Buffy blinked the mental image away. _Bleach, bleach, I need bleach!_ It was scarring.

"Thanks for the tip." Buffy said to him. Stepping back from the edge as she did so and trying to shake his hand off her shoulder, she didn't like being touched by strangers. "Senator?"

"Palpatine." He said. "I've learned that you and your brother will be staying with the Queen for a time."

"Yeah," Buffy nodded. She felt a little uncomfortable discussing this with him. _Weird, when did he find out so much about us._ It made the hairs on Buffy's neck stand on end as a chill shivered up her spine. "That's right."

"No need to be suspicious, young lady." Palpatine smiled. He did have a charming smile. "I merely wished to offer you and your brother my services during your stay."

"Why?" Buffy asked. She chewed on her tongue, reminding herself where she was and who she was with. This wasn't some cantina scum who she could curse at or a Jedi Master she could be candid with. This guy was a politician and that meant he had some kind of angle. "I mean, why would you care about me and Ani?"

"Because of the great help you gave my Queen, of course." The Senator replied easily. If he had a second motive he hid it well. "I read all about your brother's exploits in the report and I hear you threw yourself in the way of danger to help the escape." He patted her shoulder in an almost fatherly manner. "Anyone who goes to such lengths to help my planet's citizens deserves whatever aid I can offer."

"Okay." Buffy said, not knowing what else to say.

"Ani!" Padme's voice rose over the procession.

Buffy looked back to see her brother staring at the Jedi. Then, hearing Padme, he turned and followed. Smiling at her brightly, Buffy wondered if there would ever be a way to push a wedge between them. She doubted it. _Unless the Jedi agree to train Ani as a Jedi._ But she supposed that, no matter what Qui-Gon said, they would agree to train her too. _Age matters I guess._

"Well my young friend, I must be going." Palpatine said, giving her shoulder a final squeeze before removing his hand. "Matters of State to attend to, you understand." Buffy didn't but nodded anyway. "Remember what I said." He added before turning away. "Coruscant can be a dangerous place without powerful friends." Then, he strode away towards the queen and the large, strangely fish shaped, oblong air speeder.

"What was that about?" Anakin asked as he caught up to Buffy.

"I wish I knew." Buffy admitted. She stared after the Senator for a few more moments and then shook her head, trying to clear it. "Come on, Ani." She said, pushing him forwards. "We don't want to be left behind."

Together, they climbed into the front of the speeder, cramming their bodies in next to Jar Jar. Buffy squeezed into the farthest seat, leaving Anakin next to his tall Gungan friend. Nice as Jar Jar seemed, Buffy didn't like interacting with him. He was childish in many ways and his innocence left a bad taste in her mouth. She leaned out over the side as the speeder's engine began to thrum beneath them. The wind brushed through her hair as she stared out at the strange, futuristic looking city.

_Xander would be going nuts right now._ She thought.

The buildings were all so tall and some of their bodies were curved and bullet shaped, while others were a normal rectangle. Some were big and gray while others were shorter and tan. Some had windows clearly visible, while others didn't. Silently, Buffy wondered if this was what New York City was going to look like in a thousand more years. _Cars flying through the air, no roads to be seen, and drops that go down hundreds of miles? Yeah, I could almost see this as the future NYC._ Somehow, after all this time in a strange alien galaxy, Buffy still found it easier to think of places as the future Earth. _I'm such a wuss._ But in a place like this… Well, it was easy to miss home.

Then, next thing she knew, they were shooting off through the city and all thoughts of future Earth flew out of her mind.

***

Inside the central, tall tower of the Jedi Temple, Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-wan Kenobi stood before the Council. With twelve eyes focused only on them, reading their thought patterns and sensing their emotions, Obi-wan found it difficult to stand still. It was always hard to come before the Masters, with legends like Depa Bilba, Ki Adi Mundi, and Mace Windu as some of the most imposing. A small part of Obi-wan wished that his Master would not reveal the finding of the young boy, Anakin Skywalker and his sister. He didn't wish to see Qui-Gon embarrassed before the Council or witness his Master go against their wishes yet again. But he kept his thoughts to himself, shrouded behind a mask of patience as Qui-Gon spoke.

"He was trained in the Jedi Arts." The Jedi Master said as he gazed around the room. "My only conclusion can be that it was a Sith Lord."

Obi-wan listened to the room's collective gasp. The Sith were the greatest threat to the Jedi Order, a threat that had not been seen for many years. _But I too sensed it when he attacked._ Obi-wan thought. However Qui-Gon felt about Anakin and Buffy, whatever connection Obi-wan might have to her, and whatever doubts he might have about their future as Jedi. Obi-wan was sure that the warrior they'd met was Sith.

"Impossible." Ki Adi Mundi said, turning the high crest of his skull to glance at Jedi Master Yoda. "The Sith have been extinct for a millennium."

"I do not believe the Sith could have returned without us knowing about it." Mace Windu agreed. His fingers were steepled on his chest as he gazed at the two Jedi standing in the center of the room. Windu's voice was full of confidence as he spoke, glancing down at Yoda.

"Ah," The ancient Jedi replied. His old voice filled with ancient wisdom as he contemplated the evidence Qui-Gon had presented. "Hard to see the Dark Side is." His pronouncement made it plain that Qui-Gon's discovery could not avoid being studied more closely.

Nodding, Mace Windu said. "We will use all our resources to unravel this mystery." The Korun Master stared at the two Jedi from behind hooded eyes, his voice both calm and deadly serious. "And we will discover the identity of your attacker." With this judgment given, Mace Windu passed on the ancient blessing of the Jedi. "May the Force be with you." His words indicating that the matter closed.

Both Obi-wan and Qui-Gon bowed low before the Council members, but as Obi-wan turned and headed towards the door, Qui-Gon remained standing in the center of the circle.

"Master Qui-Gon?" Yoda asked. "More to say have you?"

_No, Master._ Obi-wan's mind groaned. His worst fears being realized. He turned, settling his hands into his robes and calming his mind. He would not give in to his emotions and he would show respect for his master by not disagreeing with him before the Council. That was a commandment of the Jedi Code, the way that Master and Apprentice created their shared respect and appreciation for one another. _Here it comes._

"With your permission my Master," Qui-Gon said. "I have encountered two separate vergences in the Force."

"A pair found, have you?" Yoda asked.

He was staring at the Jedi with newfound curiosity. It was rare enough to find one vergence, but two was an extraordinary event, especially if they were found circling around one person. Sometimes a vergence, a large amount of Force swirling around a living being indicated a great destiny awaited them. But such a thing was dangerous, for the future was a hard thing to read and whatever glimpses the Force may give a master like Yoda, it would never be enough to determine the truth. But two? That was extraordinary indeed.

Mace Windu looked up in surprise as he gazed at Qui-Gon, he found himself not wholly believing what the other master was suggesting. He sensed the truth in Qui-Gon's words but found he could only ask a single question. "Located around a person?"

"Around two." Qui-Gon replied. "A boy and a girl. A pair of siblings who helped myself and the Queen escape from Tatooine." He stared at the Council members trying to impress on them the importance of his discovery. "The boy's bloodstream contains the highest concentration of midichlorians I have seen in a life form. It is possible he was conceived by the midichlorians."

A murmur went up around the room. They all knew the meaning of the statement. However only Mace Windu and Mater Yoda passed over the question to ask another, one about Qui-Gon's second discovery.

"And the girl?" Master Windu asked. There was a touch of skepticism in his tone. "Was she also conceived by the midichlorians."

"No." Qui-Gon shook his head. "No, but she is also a strange case. Her midichlorian count was only thirteen thousand." There was a sharp intake of breath from around the room. Thirteen thousand was still a high number for any Jedi and represented a wealth of untapped Force potential. "However," Qui-Gon said. "I have discovered that, like the boy, her high count is the least interesting thing about her." He took a deep breath. "During my time with her, I have discovered that she possess an innate instinct for the art of Battle Meditation. One that has already begun to manifest." Qui-Gon glanced at his Padawan. "She also has the ability to establish Force connections quickly. Obi-wan already shares a bond with her as does her brother."

"Mmm, a troubling discovery, this is." Yoda said. "Bring her before us, you must."

Qui-Gon nodded. Now that they had agreed to test Buffy, there was one more issue at hand. He knew the subject of Anakin Skywalker was one that must be addressed by the Council. "Master, I believe that the boy is the Chosen One."

"The Child of Prophecy who will bring balance to the Force?" Mace Windu asked. Unnerved as he had been by Qui-Gon's discovery of the girl and her raw untrained abilities, Mace Windu was even more hesitant to face the Jedi Master's claim. "You believe it's this boy?"

"I don't presume to—"

"But you do." Yoda said. The ancient Jedi lifted a small wrinkled finger and jabbed it at Qui-Gon. "Revealed your opinion is!"

"Like the girl, I request the boy be tested, Master." Qui-Gon said. He had gotten them to agree to Buffy, though he knew he'd withheld information regarding her age. A seventeen year old would be difficult for them to accept, perhaps even more difficult than one at the age of twelve. But he firmly believed that it was the will of the Force for both Buffy and Anakin to be trained as Jedi. To him it was obvious, but he knew it would be difficult for the Council to see. _Many of our greatest Jedi have been trained as adults._ But they were often over shadowed by the darker failures of Exar Kun and Ulic Quel-Droma. Those older students lost to the Sith teachings.

"Trained as a Jedi, you wish for them, hmm?" Yoda asked.

"Finding them was the will of the Force." Qui-Gon said. "I have no doubt of that."

Together, the Jedi Council shared one glance. Each finally giving into the request, though many already knew what their answer would be. Finally, Mace Windu sighed, knowing he would have two see these two Force sensitives for himself. Both were unusual, the girl was almost even more intriguing than the boy. _If Qui-Gon's evaluations are correct._ Perhaps she was not as strong, but an innate gift like Battle Meditation meant she had a possible talent for Shatterpoint, his own rare gift. _Finding these two together can be no coincidence._ He thought with another sigh. Finally, resigned, he looked up at Qui-Gon Jinn.

"Bring them before us then."

With another bow, Qui-Gon turned and left the room leaving a worried collection of Jedi Master's behind them.

"Much to think about, have we." Yoda said as the door closed shut behind the Jedi Master and his Padawan. "Meditate upon this, I must."

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A/N: Remember to review!


	19. Chapter 18: Potential

**Chapter Eighteen: Potential**

Deep inside his own chambers, Yoda the Grand Master of the Jedi Order sat in meditation. For 850 years, Yoda had trained many Jedi in service of the Republic. In that time some had risen to prominence, becoming great heroes of the Galactic Republic. Ones of whom stories were told, songs were written, holovids were made, ones that the younglings looked up to and who, in their heart of hearts, dreamed of being. Other students had faded into obscurity, lost in time and forgotten by all except the records and those who searched deep enough to find them. But to Master Yoda, no matter how small or great their achievements had been all his former pupils were special.

To him, the future safety and security of the Order was the most important thing.

And that was why he had spent the last hours of the day in meditation. When Qui-Gon Jinn stood before the Council only a few standard hours before, Yoda had sensed something in him, a change that reverberated from deep within him. It was not, Yoda knew, his encounter with a wielder of the Dark Side, with a Sith, that had affected him so deeply. No, Yoda was certain that it was these children, these vergences in the Force. Like in young Obi-wan, Yoda had sensed that a connection had formed between the female child and Qui-Gon, one that tied them as firmly as the bond between Master and Apprentice.

But that was not what he found so interesting. The time spent between them had been too short for so strong a bond to develop. Yoda had been forced to conclude that the girl was what Qui-Gon had said, one naturally skilled in the creation of connections between herself and those around her.

_And a troubling revelation it is._

It was a powerful gift, one that had not been seen in many generations. One that, if it was not properly trained, would become both a danger to her and to those around her. Yoda suspected that these connections had been formed out of desperation, in moments of strong emotion, that the girl felt so lost and abandoned that she sought to bind those around her. Even with the threat she posed, wild and untrained, Yoda knew she was one who must be pitied. The Force had bestowed a hard and heavy burden upon her shoulders. In the Force, Yoda could see the way it weighed her down.

She was a conundrum. And like the boy, Yoda did not know what her coming would mean for the Jedi. Qui-Gon had not mentioned her age. He had merely said that she was older.

Yoda knew that there had been a time among the Jedi when those older than babes had been taken for training. But that had been many thousands of years before and during the course of Yoda's long life among the Jedi, he had not encountered any that warranted such consideration. But with the arrival of these two, Yoda knew that the Council would have to make a decision.

Yoda had come to the Force for guidance, for answers to the threat the Jedi faced. He sought to find the knowledge of the future, visions of what was to come, what these children would bring. When he attempted to gaze at the boy's future it was clouded and dark, Yoda was unable to see it clearly. The girl, however, her future he could glimpse. It too was hidden from him but not shrouded in the same fashion as the boy's. Yoda was not comforted by what he saw.

The girl would become a Jedi, yes, that much was certain. He had seen a lightsaber in her hand, it's blade the color of the sun and a face, though older, filled with calm serenity. In the snippets of her future Yoda saw battle as clearly as he saw war, the girl seemed to always be fighting. Sometimes it was beside a Master, one whose face Yoda could not see, other times it was alone against many enemies. But whether these battles occurred because of her actions or in spite of them, he could not be sure. In the recent days her future was not unusual, Yoda had glimpsed many dark futures for his Jedi and this girl was just another sign of what was to come.

It troubled him that he could not see the boy. The Force had long been his ally but these days it provided him with few answers, leaving the choices that must be made to Yoda alone.

He knew there was little he could do until both younglings stood before him and Yoda hoped that in the boy's presence the Force would allow him to see more clearly. The girl, well, the girl's fate seemed to have already been decided. It was a troubling revelation that the Force would bind itself into one so violent. Yoda had already felt the dark weight of her emotions in the light touch they had left upon Qui-Gon. The girl, like the boy, was dangerous.

_Yes, dangerous she is. But trained she must be. A plan, the Force has. Requires it, the Force does._

As he had done for so many generations, Yoda would abide by the will of the Force. Perhaps this young Skywalker would provide him with the answers he sought. But already he feared that she would become the new face of the Jedi.

_ But another matter, it is, for the future. Focus on the now, we must. Decided this matter is. A Jedi, Buffy Skywalker will be._

Perhaps with the proper guidance, Buffy Skywalker could be saved from herself.

***

Many hours later, Buffy stood in a hallway outside the lift to the Council Chamber, tapping her foot against the floor. The bottoms of her soft boots created a gentle pitter-patter against the smooth, white stones as she stared at the door turbolift. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her mind going over and over what she'd learned. The Senator Palpatine and the Queen were plotting some kind of overthrow of the current Chancellor if refused to act on the invasion of their planet. Palpatine seemed to think that Valorum was weak and lacking in the necessary qualities to be a leader of the Republic. Buffy didn't know whether to agree or disagree, and she hadn't seen enough of either politician to form an opinion. Honestly, she hadn't seen enough of the galaxy to know or understand its problems. It all made Buffy feel small and ignorant. Buffy had always known that the galaxy was a big place, but she'd had no idea how big until she'd come to Coruscant.

_Still, Senator Palpatine seems nice enough._ A little on the slimy side and Buffy wasn't entirely sure what to make of him, but he didn't seem all bad.

And she'd been pleasantly startled by how much the Queen seemed to care about her people. Buffy had gained a new level of respect for the monarch of Naboo. Even though her Handmaidens seemed stuck up and naïve, Buffy got the feeling that the Queen was deeply worried about the future of her planet. Already Buffy didn't like the sound of this Trade Federation. Palpatine also seemed genuinely interested in his people.

_He also made that offer to help me and Anakin if the Jedi don't accept us._ In his office while Buffy was waiting for Anakin to finish saying his goodbye's to Padme, the Senator had informed her that he'd made arrangements for her to be his personal aide. _He seemed pretty sure that the Jedi wouldn't accept us for training._ Her especially. According to Senator Palpatine, they never took anyone older than the age of five. _And I'm way, way over that mark._ Even Anakin had a much better chance than she did. Buffy didn't entirely trust the Senator and she hoped that she'd get to stay with Qui-Gon a little longer. _But there's no ulterior motive for his kindness._ At least not any she could see. Both she and Anakin had no political value, so Buffy was forced to accept that the offer of a home and a well paying job was genuine. _And it's not like I have any other options._ She was in a strange place, alone and ignorant. _And if they do take Anakin for training at least I'll be close by._ She'd still be able to look after him. No, if the Jedi didn't take her for training, Buffy was pretty sure she'd have to take the Senator up on his job offer.

She leaned back, pressing her head against the wall and brushing her straw blonde hair out of her eyes. Blowing her breath through her teeth, Buffy glared again at the closed door. She had half a mind to try and turn the thing on and go up herself. _Or see if they have stairs._ Yes, stairs would be good.

"I shouldn't have let him go alone!" Buffy growled.

Banging her head against the back of the wall, she stared up at the high ceiling. She barely noticed the small children running back and forth at the end of the hall. They were all matching in their oatmeal colored robes. Some were her age, but most were younger than Anakin. They were all watching her with interest. Little round eyes peering around the corner and giggling. That was a strange sound for a Jedi. Ever since she'd gotten here, they'd all been serious, serious, with a side of serious.

_But I haven't seen many children either._ Aside from the few she'd seen wandering the halls in dark brown robes and trailing after adults, there had only a young human boy around the age of ten. He'd been her guide. She hadn't had a chance to ask his name. _And he left me here to wait after taking Ani up to the Council chambers._ Waiting, she'd never been good at that.

_Well, being polite couldn't hurt._ They were probably here to stare at the old freak who wanted to be trained as a Jedi. _I guess nothing interesting happens here._ Interesting to them, anyway. On the way in Buffy had passed a child, one who couldn't be older than seven or eight, sitting alone in a room. _Trying to make a feather float_ The little blue Twi'lek had been succeeding too. _Kids here are scary._

Buffy pulled her hand out from behind her back and waggled her fingers at them. A small Devaronian, red-faced with large horns protruding out of his skull and reminding Buffy too much of several demons she'd found haunting the eastern SunnyDale cemetery, grinned with pointed teeth. One of his companions, a small human girl with dark, curly brown hair ducked her head back out of the hallway with a shy smile. Her face reappeared a few seconds later, peering at Buffy with big, round eyes.

Buffy suppressed both a smile and a sigh. She really was far from home. Silently, she turned her attention back to the door. She'd never been good with kids. _Hell, I never believed I'd survive long enough to have kids!_ A Slayer's life was hard and they usually died before the age of twenty five. There'd always been a good chance that she'd never even get to college, never from graduate high school before she kicked the bucket. _Can't do either now._ She winced. Since talking to Qui-Gon thinking about Earth had become easier. She wasn't less angry, she was just… Buffy didn't really know. _I've kinda accepted it, I guess._

She was ready to face a new future.

***

Outside the Jedi Temple, Obi-wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn walked across a small platform, one jutting out of the temple's side and overlooking the towering buildings of Coruscant. In the distance they could see the round, domed building that housed the Galactic Senate of the Republic. Senate was now in session, thousands of representatives from across the Galaxy deciding both the fate of Naboo and whether or not the Jedi's mission would continue. Behind them, the golden orb of Coruscant's sun was setting. It cast a red shade across the buildings as the sky darkened into a deep pink, coloring the clouds a soft purple. Night was descending on the busy city, darkening the actions of its inhabitants and plunging them into shadow.

But Obi-wan's mind was not troubled by natural occurrences or even the decisions of the Senate. His thoughts swarmed over the face of Buffy Skywalker and her younger brother Anakin, Obi-wan was certain neither boy nor girl would be accepted by the Council for training. He believed that it had been foolish of his master to bring it up before them. While it would have been rude to challenge Qui-Gon before the Council, now that they were alone, Obi-wan had no problem voicing his doubts.

"Neither the boy nor the girl will pass the Council's tests, Master." He said as they strode out onto the veranda. "They are too old." Well, Obi-wan thought, the boy had only missed the age requirement by a small margin. _But the girl is only a few standard years younger than I!_ She was a teenager, far too old to meet the necessary requirements and it would be close to impossible to train her safely. _And teens are already caught in a whirlwind of emotions, teaching her to calm her mind would be difficult at best._

"In the old days, my young apprentice, many adults were trained to become Jedi." Qui-Gon said. He linked his hands behind his back as he walked. His eyes were not on Obi-wan, but on the vastness and beauty of Coruscant. "Without the wisdom of the old masters, the Jedi would have lost the knowledge gained from their experiences and we would have never known the likes of Nomi Sunrider, a Jedi who proved invaluable in stopping fallen Jedi Ulic Quel-Droma and Exar Kun. Without her, they're reign of terror could not have been ended and their dreams of a Sith Empire stalled. You must remember, Obi-wan, that for every rule there is an exception. As Jedi we must be flexible to see the dangers before us and the gifts given to us by the Force." He nodded slowly, thinking on his own words. Finally, he glanced at Obi-wan, seeing his Padawan watching him intensely. He knew that Obi-wan did not yet understand, but he hoped that one day his student would. Obi-wan had the makings of a great Jedi, but he was still focused too much on the rules and not the will of the Living Force. "Anakin and Buffy Skywalker will become Jedi, I promise you."

Obi-wan sighed heavily. There were times when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn was too stubborn for his own good. Obi-wan knew his master was a radical and his many years with Qui-Gon had taught him exactly what troubles that brought him. "Do not defy the Council, master," he said. "Not again!"

Qui-Gon merely tilted his head, dismissing his Padawan's worries with a mild shrug. "I will do what I must, Obi-wan." Then, he turned and walked out to the edge of the veranda. His hands still linked together behind his back as he stared out at the city of Coruscant, listening to the screams of the speeders as they raced by.

Stretching his senses out, he sensed Anakin Skywalker up in the Council chambers and Buffy waiting below for her turn. He felt fear and anxiety from one, worry and impatience from the other. _And a touch of anger._ But Buffy's anger was never far from her. He knew their discussion had soothed it some, knew that these emotions came from feelings of loss and betrayal, but it remained a difficult barrier. _One she may very well spend the rest of her life trying to conquer._

The time would come when she would have to face that anger and decide if it was important enough to hold onto. _And when it does she must have the full weight of Jedi teachings behind her._ He hoped that when it did she would let her anger go. _Fear of loss only binds us to the past, a Jedi must live in the present._ That was what his master, Dooku had taught him. But those days were long past and the wisdom given before Dooku had left the Jedi Order. Qui-Gon sucked in a long heady breath and sighed, calming his mind, strengthening himself for the task that was to come. He understood Obi-wan's doubts and felt them keenly. But the will of the Force was strong and Qui-Gon was sure that he knew what it intended. He remembered Anakin's dreams about Buffy as a Jedi and Anakin's midichlorian count. These two were both special, undeniably important to the future of the Jedi. For the sake of both these children, he would defy the Council.

"If you would just follow the Code you would be on the Council." Obi-wan said as he followed his master. He remained a step behind the older Jedi, watching as Qui-Gon set his hands on the veranda's durasteele railing and stared out at the silver of the Coruscant's moon that had risen above the horizon. He could sense nothing from his master but peace and Obi-wan attempted to follow Qui-Gon's example. "They will not go along with you this time."

_Obi-wan may be right._ Qui-Gon thought as his apprentice stepped up beside him. _But it is important that a Jedi keep their word and fulfill their promises._ Jedi did not lie but that did not mean they always spoke the truth. Qui-Gon had his own doubts about the Council, but he was sure that they would sense what he had sensed from Buffy and Anakin. He trusted that the Council in its greater wisdom would see that the two children must be trained. With a gentle smile, he turned to Obi-wan and clapped him on the shoulder with a warm hand.

"You still have much to learn my young apprentice."

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**A/N:** A short chapter I know, I'm sorry for that, I had a bit of writers block. Anakin and the Council, plus Buffy meeting the Council will be in the next chapter. I promise, along with the decision about both Buffy's future and Anakin's.

The next chapter should be posted soon.

Remember to review!


	20. Chapter 19: Before the Council

**Chapter Nineteen: Before the Council**

High above the streets of Coruscant and at the top of the Jedi Temple, Anakin Skywalker stood before the circle of Jedi Masters. His heart was thudding in his chest, his thoughts were nervous, and his brow was beginning to sweat. The masters were sitting all around him, their eyes all focused on his face, he could almost feel their probing thoughts as they observed him with placid, implacable expressions. Anakin tried to keep his mind focused on the questions he was asked. He stood before Jedi Masters Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and the legendary Master Yoda trying to remain relaxed.

_Buffy wouldn't be impressed by them._ She would be facing these powerful men, women, and aliens fearlessly, answering their questions coolly. Buffy wouldn't be nervous, worried, or afraid. She wouldn't let the wondering thought of what would happen if she was accepted and he wasn't wander through her mind. But the longer the test went on, the more afraid Anakin grew. His thoughts returned to his mother and Tatooine, his heart clenching in his chest with the memory. Anakin knew shouldn't have left her behind. He didn't know if he could do this one his own.

He blinked. Master Windu, a Koruun Jedi with dark brown skin and a bald head was leaning forward, watching him intently. The holoviewer was between his hands, the image on it hidden from view. He was waiting for Anakin to guess the object appearing on the pad before him. Anakin sucked in another deep breath, trying to clear his thoughts of worries. It wasn't easy. Finally, he let go of his thoughts as an image appeared in his mind.

"A ship?" He asked. The Jedi Master gave sign to indicate that he'd gotten the answer right. Bathed in the orange glow of the fading sunlight, Anakin wondered if he should continue. Another shape appeared in his mind, he spoke. "A cup." This time he was sure and his confidence echoed in his voice as he shifted slightly on the cold permacrete floor. He hadn't had any time to examine the room or the beautiful circled pattern of brown and yellow beneath his feet. A new image appeared in his mind, this one was foggier and it was hard to make it out. "A ship?" He asked. But as soon as the words were out of his mouth he immediately knew they were wrong. He watched Master Windu's eyebrows lift questioningly and swallowed, reexamining the picture in his mind. "A speeder."

Slowly, Master Windu lowered the square, gray, plasteele holoviewer and glanced at Master Yoda, his nod indicating his surprise that the boy had answered all the questions correctly. It was a rare thing to have happen when testing a candidate, most children only correctly guessed half the thirty five shapes and the stronger ones averaging out at around seventy five percent. As Qui-Gon had informed them, this boy was clearly strong in the Force. Mace knew that the other Jedi must feel the same as he. The strength of the child's potential was astounding. But a glance at the creases in Master Yoda's face and the twitching tufts of his ears to know that he was not convinced.

Mace watched Yoda lift a single finger to his lips in thought, his eyes narrowing slightly as he observed the lad. Then, instead of congratulating the boy, Yoda leaned forward slightly and addressed the candidate. "How feel you?"

"Cold sir." Anakin said.

He barely needed to think for a response, it came to him immediately. A sense of dread washed over him as his thoughts fled back to the face of his mother, to Buffy lying on the floor of the cargo bay, her arm and leg cut open, exposing the bleached white of her bones. The two images appeared and reappeared in his mind as his fears crept up behind his eyes. What would happen to him? What would happen if they took Buffy and left him behind? What would happen if they took him and not his sister? How would he fulfill his promise to his mother? Anakin did not want to lose another person he loved.

"Afraid are you?" Yoda asked.

Quickly, Anakin shook his head. "No sir."

It was a lie. He was already very afraid, but not of them, not of the Jedi. Anakin supposed that was what they wanted to know. _And how will they know if I'm lying or not?_ He wondered where Buffy was, if she was waiting for him. Was she being tested somewhere else? What if they decided to train her and he never saw her again? Or what if the reverse happened? Anakin would not fail his mother. He wouldn't break his promise.

"See through you, we can." Yoda's words were chastising as he lifted a finger and jabbed it at Anakin.

He spoke slowly but his sentence carried a great weight one, that made Anakin shiver beneath his woven tunic and sackcloth pants. Anakin's small fists tightened into a ball as his mouth pressed into a line. So, they already knew that he was afraid. Standing before them, Anakin felt strange. He wondered how they had managed to see into his mind. Did they even know who and what he was thinking of?

"Be mindful of your feelings." Mace Windu said.

"Your thoughts dwell on your mother." Ki-Adi-Mundi added.

"I miss her." Anakin admitted.

Slowly, Yoda nodded. His finger still rested against his wrinkled mouth as he stared at Anakin in thought. The images that raced through the boys mind moved through his and he examined each of them carefully. "Think of your sister also, you do." Yoda said from the rounded cushion of his small, circular chair. "Afraid to lose them, I think."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

Yoda's eyes widened and he straightened, his small hands linking together on his lap. "Everything!" He said. Yoda lifted a single hand and extended it towards Anakin. "Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate…leads to suffering." Slowly, he watched as Anakin's eyes shifted towards Mace Windu and Mace gazed impassively back. "I sense much fear in you."

***

Just when Buffy thought she was going to explode from boredom, a new face not the guide she'd met before, a young man with a head full of thick black, curly hair returned. He walked down the hallway with a deliberate stride, like he was trying for calmness. But Buffy noticed that his round cheeks were flushed and his breathing was a few beats quicker than normal. She guessed that he'd been running. Resting her hands against her belly and twirling her thumbs, she watched him frown at the children. To her surprise, the entire lot vanished like ghosts from the end of the hallway.

"Well," she said as he approached. Tilting her head to the side, green eyes searching the opening at the end, she wondered where they'd all gotten off too. "That wasn't very nice."

Rail thin, he looked about sixteen years old. His eyes and hair both black, he seemed to be in the middle of a growth spurt. His hands and feet were too large for his arms and legs, and his robes ended several inches above the tops of his boots. The boy ignored her. Instead, he tucked his hands into the folds of his robe and made a small, polite bow. "The Council is ready to see you now, Buffy Skywalker." He said. "You are to come with me."

Wait. They were already done with Anakin? What had they decided? Buffy swallowed. Silently, she crossed her arms stubbornly across her chest, her lower lip jutting out as she stared down at the boy. "So where's Anakin? Did he pass? Are they going to train him?"

"I do not know." The boy replied. A small frown creased his forehead as his black eyebrows crinkled together. He lifted his dark eyes to stare at her. "The Masters sent me to bring you before them. Any questions you have are theirs to answer."

That wasn't good enough for Buffy. "Where is Anakin?"

Repeating her question, she hugged herself tighter with her crossed arms, glaring down impatiently at her guide. "I'm not going anywhere until I find out he's all right." She wanted to talk to him, to make sure that the Jedi hadn't scared him. She wanted to know what sort of tests they had in store for her, what she could expect. _They're not gonna take me anyway. So, really, I just want to know if they're gonna train Ani._ Was she about to lose her little brother? _How can I fulfill my promise to Mom?_ How could she look after him?

"I do not _know_." The boy repeated, the irritation in his tone matching the one in hers. "I expect he's been returned to Master Qui-Gon until the Council make their decision. If you want to know more, you must allow me to take you to the Masters."

"Okay," Buffy nodded.

The answer made sense. She hated to think that Anakin might have been stuffed into a room to wait by himself. _Or in a hallway like they did with me._ Buffy didn't understand why these Jedi felt the need to separate them. It only served to frustrate her and, she was certain, worry Anakin. Her brother was a sensitive boy. He would worry about her if he didn't know where she was. _And I don't like it when he worries._ She swallowed another breath, trying to calm herself down. Jumping the gun, getting angry, and yelling at this boy wouldn't do her any good. _If these Masters have the answers, guess I'll go see them._ Buffy twitched. _Why didn't Qui-Gon and Obi wait with me?_ She'd tried not to think about it, but the minute she'd walked into the Temple, the Jedi had separated her, Anakin, and the man who'd become her second Giles. She trusted Qui-Gon, not this bunch of strange, uptight Jedi people. Like Obi-wan they all seemed to walk around with sticks shoved up their collective asses.

"Miss Skywalker," the boy said with a sigh. "The Masters disprove of tardiness."

Buffy blinked, jolted out of her thoughts by the boy's voice, she looked up at him, a small smirk twitching on her lips. _Let 'em._ She thought with satisfaction. They'd certainly made her wait long enough. _It's not like they're gonna take me anyway._ So from here on out, it didn't matter what she did. Buffy glanced at the young man again, wondering if she'd also be getting him in trouble.

"What's your name?" She asked, suddenly.

The young man looked down at her in surprise, his dark eyes shifting back and forth underneath the glow globes. "Me?" He asked, pointing at himself, his finger pressing against the middle of his chest.

"Yeah," Buffy said. "You." She smiled for a moment and then added. "My mommy taught me not to go anywhere with strangers, so we're not leaving 'till I got your number…er… name."

"You behave like a flutter brained, adolescent hawkbat. One with the intellect of an under grown shadowmoth." He muttered. His foot tapped against the floor and he pursed his lips, looking up at her again, frowning. They were already tardy and he knew the Masters would be displeased. But he was fairly sure that once they met Buffy, he would receive no blame. "You'll come with me if I tell you?"

Buffy had no idea what creatures he'd just described, but she was pretty sure she still understood the language for idiot. He'd just called her one. There was no time to hang him by the ears and make him pay. "Sure." She said. Reaching forward, she tweaked his nose with her thumb and forefinger. "Two little words and then it's off to meet the Wizard."

The boy knocked her hand away, rubbing his nose, a new flush rising to his cheeks. She was making fun of him. He could feel it, her with her alien culture references that he couldn't comprehend. He swallowed. It was his responsibility to get her to the Masters and if that meant playing along with her insanity, then so be it. "Arenth," he said. "Arenth Calby from Corellia. I am the Padawan Learner of Master Kiph Ardo."

"Arenth," Buffy said. The word was strange on her tongue. _Why doesn't anyone here have a normal name like Matt or Todd?_ "Nice name."

"Will you come with me now?"

"Sure thing," Buffy nodded. "Let's follow that yellow brick road."

Padawan Arenth Calby just shook his head. He would not waste precious energy trying to translate what sort of material a "brick" was. Instead, he pressed a button on the opposite side of the hall to call for the turbolift. When it came, he would escort her inside and take her to the Masters.

"You sure we can't take the stairs?" She asked nervously from behind him.

Defying his training and giving into his feelings, Arenth glanced back over his shoulder and glowered at the older girl. He fervently hoped that she would not remain in the Temple long. His prayers were answered as with a whoosh, the turbolift arrived. The doors clicked open, showing the entrance into the small, round pod. Arenth stared at her, aggravated, when she refused to move. "Come." He said with a wave of his hand.

"Stairs." Buffy repeated. "Can we take them?"

"This way is faster." They were already late. The Council wouldn't remain in session forever. "We are already late." Arenth refused to give in; there would be no stairs for Buffy. _What is her problem?_ Was she afraid of technology or something? _Did she not come on a starship?_ "Come," he repeated. "You promised."

"I didn't promise to take the elevator." Buffy said. She remained frozen on the opposite side of the hall. She watched him sigh.

"There is no other way." He lied. Jedi did not lie as a rule, but Arenth was sure that his Master would not begrudge him a small one. _He hasn't had to deal with her._ Arenth was sure that this Buffy Skywalker could even find her way under Master Ardo's calm. "And you promised to let me bring you to the Masters."

"What's the point of going if I never get there?"

Did she think the turbolift was going to break? He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "It is safe." He said.

"Not for me." She retorted.

"So, you will not take the turbolift?"

"No!" Buffy snapped. Not even if it meant getting to the Council quicker. She valued her own life and had no wish to take a chance with the machinery. The trip to Coruscant had been fine but Buffy was certain that it was only a matter of time before her tech toxicity reemerged. _And I'd rather not plummet to my death, thanks._ Actually, Buffy wasn't even sure if she wanted to see the Council. If they wanted her to be a Jedi, they could just come down here and test her!

"Very well," Arenth sighed. Rubbing his forehead, he stalked down the hall. Reaching the end, he hit another pad. Buffy watched with surprise as another door opened, revealing a curving set of stairs. "We'll go this way."

"Stairs?" The words were filled with disbelief. _Didn't he say there weren't any?_ Why had he lied? Her mouth hung open for a moment before she noticed the aggravation cracking through his calm. Jaw snapping shut; she walked forwards. "Er, thanks."

"Follow me." Arenth said as he moved past her and began climbing up the circular stairs. Silently, he wondered how many hours this would take them. "And run."

Buffy watched as he disappeared around the corner, his body a sudden blur of motion. Flexing her arm and her leg, testing them, and feeling that they were all healed up, she grinned. In a way, he'd just said 'catch me if you can'. "Sounds like a challenge." She called after him. Then, without waiting for a response, she leaped forward at a dead run. Her feet pounding against the duracrete as she chased him, the stress of meeting the Jedi Council almost forgotten.

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**A/N: **Another short chapter, lol. I guess I'm running low on steam today. Next chapter has Buffy's face off with the Council. I know, I know, I'll write it. I swear I will. :P

Remember to review. Feed my muse and she'll feed you.


	21. Chapter 20: Lost in Translation

**Chapter Twenty: Lost in Translation**

Several hours later, Buffy, her face slick with sweat and her breathing heavy finally came to a stop on the landing behind Padawan Arenth Calby. _Stairs… too many stairs… don't know how… climbed…so many…_ Gasping for air, her entire upper body fell forward as she tried to suck the air back into her lungs. Her tunic and pants clung to her skin, itching the insides of her thighs. Her straw blonde hair was wet and plastered across her forehead. Hands on her hips, she jerked her head back up. Arenth Calby was watching her with mild amusement. He barely looked winded.

"Next time," he asked with a slight smile. "Shall we take the turbolift?"

Buffy glowered at him as she listened to her heart hammer against her ribs. She straightened her back, sucking all the air she could in through her nostrils. _Had no idea it would take so long…_ She thought as they came out in gasps. _How did he do it?_ She wondered. _He cheated didn't he! He had too! No one could run that fast, climb that far, and not be tired! Nobody!_ Except, apparently, Jedi. Boy, with the exception of Qui-Gon, she hated them already.

"No." She hissed. Wiping her forehead, she yanked her body upright. If he wasn't going to look tired then neither was she. "This way was fine."

"Really?" He asked. She watched him lean against the wall and study her for a moment. "Well," he said. "I must admit you were impressive, running the whole way without the help of the Force." Arenth shrugged. "Most normal beings would have collapsed from exhaustion by now." He chuckled. "Or asked for a break."

Her jaw dropped for a moment. _So that's how he did it._ He'd been using the Force this whole time. She hadn't felt anything! _Not that I ever felt Qui-Gon or Obi using it either._ Swallowing to soothe her dry throat, Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. He was like the shadow man she'd fought, the one with the black and red face. He'd been using the mystical Force too. _Just like Qui-Gon._ They'd done it to perform feats beyond that of normal men, used it as easily as breathing.

"Cheater."

"What?" He blinked.

Buffy jabbed her forefinger at him. "Using outside magic, life source, midichlorians, or whatever, means you were cheating!" She exhaled again. It was almost nice doing this, it made her feel like a kid again. _Like when I was competing with Kendra._ "Cheating."

"I had no idea we were competing." Arenth said. "Next time I promise, it'll be on even ground." He winked. His voice was light and the smile never left his lips, then, he pushed himself off the wall.

"You've got a weird sense of humor for a Jedi." Buffy sighed.

"Met many Jedi?" Arenth asked. He regarded her for a moment. Then, he shook his head, checked his holowatch, and realized how late they were. "Come, Buffy Skywalker," he waved her forward. "Let us see if the Council deigned to wait for you."

_Do I have to?_ Buffy wondered. Suddenly, she wished she could be outside or that she'd taken the Senator up on his offer. Buffy had never liked rejection, never took it well, and walking into a situation where it was all but likely? Well, she wasn't very excited about it. _Stop being a child._ Her mind growled at her as she mentally kicked herself. _You told Qui-Gon you would try._ On rubbery legs, she followed him down the hallway. She hated trading one set of gray metal walls for another set of gray metal walls. _Do the Jedi have any artistic sensibilities?_ Despite it's grandeur it all seemed drab and dull.

The walked for several feet and rounded another corner. Then, finally, Arenth came to a stop before another door. He didn't look back at her as he touched the pad on the wall. Buffy watched apprehensively, listening to the click of them unlatching and the release as they slid open. Staring past Arenth Calby, she noted the circle of men, women, and aliens all sitting inside the room. The second thing she saw was that the room had no walls, large panes of transparisteel reached up to the domed ceiling as they circled the room. She watched as a dark-skinned man, one sitting next to the green midget, waved for her to enter.

"You are late." He said as she and Arenth entered the room.

"And very dirty." The woman with the strange Buddhist marks on her forehead and chin commented from the back of the circle. Her mouth was curved in a slight smile. Many of the chairs in the room were empty, the other Masters having gone about their business and leaving Buffy to face only a third of their number.

"Master Bilba is right," one of the aliens said. He nodded the tall crest of his skull towards Buffy. "You look like you've spent several hours in the training chamber."

"When you should have come here." The black Jedi said.

Buffy threw her shoulders back at his tone, her tired muscles wrenching themselves into a scowl as she crossed her arms over her chest. She opened her mouth to retort, but Arenth beat her too it.

"I'm sorry, Masters." He said. His body dipped in a polite bow as he faced the circle. "We would have arrived sooner, but she refused to take the turbolift."

"Refused?" The black master asked. He glanced at Buffy, a single eyebrow raised. Then, he looked at the small green frog-like…thing before looking back at Buffy. "Why did you refuse to take the turbolift?"

"Because she's afraid, Master." Arenth said. His freshness was making him faster than her. Buffy glared at his back for a moment, she did not appreciate anyone speaking for her.

"That's not true!" She snapped. "I'm not scared!"

"That's enough, Arenth." The Jedi Master named Depa Billba said, waving the tall Padawan away. "You can go."

Casting a sideways glance at Buffy as he stepped back, Arenth Calby bowed to the Jedi Masters and turned, striding from the room. His posture suggesting that he was looking forward to taking the turbolift back down. It was the first time Buffy noticed his legs were stiff; apparently he hid his tiredness well. She watched him go with another glower, feeling the weight of her body and the exhaustion in her muscles. She glanced around at the empty chairs as she walked to the room's center. Some looked so comfortable. These Masters weren't going to make her stand… were they?

"If you are not scared, why didn't you take the turbolift?" The dark-skinned Jedi asked. He was staring at her over his fingertips and Buffy was startled by his resemblance to Samuel L. Jackson. An older and balder Samuel Jackson. If Samuel L. Jackson could get any balder…

"If I tell you can I call you Shaft? Mr. Clean? Cystic Fibrosis Man?" She asked. "No," Buffy shook her head. None of those seemed to fit him. "It's gonna have to be Sam Jackson, Mister Sam Jackson, you look like him. You know, actor, man, and legend." Even with the Master's expression growing ever more perturbed, Buffy continued on. "So, Mister Jedi Jackson Man, I'll tell you if you let me call you that." Then, Buffy paused, thinking for a moment. She'd run a long way up those stairs and the duracrete was hard on the soles of her boots and her toes "And if you let me, you know, sit."

"I am Jedi Master Mace Windu," He said drawing his body upright. "You may address me as Master Windu." It had been many years since he'd been addressed with such impertinence. Mace was careful to keep a smile off his lips and his face smooth. It wouldn't do to let her know he was laughing inside. Mace Windu was sure that he should be offended, that she meant for him to be, but given that most of what she'd just said was gibberish, he found it hard to be off put. Still, it might be amusing to play her game. She clearly wanted him to not give her permission. "And no, you may not sit."

Buffy sat. She crossed her legs Indian style and leaned her cheek against her palm, elbow digging into the crook of her knee. She stared up at him, a smirk on her lips and she thought she saw him smile back. But it was a brief instant. _I've gotta be imagining it._

"An ill-mannered rascal isn't she?" The Jedi with the large curved cone sloping up off his skull murmured. He too was watching her with mild eyes, his hands resting on his lap.

"A terror of technology, she has. Hmm?" The tiny green one nodded. "Or terror she is, on all those nearby?"

"Wait." Buffy said. "Kermit—"

"Master Yoda." Master Bilba interjected gently.

"Needs to repeat himself." Buffy finished. She frowned glancing over her shoulder, noting the impassive face of the Jedi Master. None of these faces looked angry, she couldn't even tell if they were irritated. _Jedi are weird._ "Cause I didn't catch that."

"Listen well, she does not." Yoda observed dryly. "Slow her mind is. Potential she may have, but dense she may also be."

"Yeah?" Buffy asked. "I may be dumb and short I may be," she added dropping into his vocal patterns. She shook her head quickly. She would not talk like him. "But at least I'm still taller than you." She paused again. "And I've got fashion sense." She stuck out her tongue. "You're just wearing a bag."

"Too much importance on size, you place." Yoda replied. "Blind you, it does, to the mysteries you face."

"Jeez Kermy," Buffy said. She was beginning to catch on. _But the little shrimp can keep his Chinese cookie wisdom to himself._ "You're a poet and didn't know it."

"I believe Master Yoda is asking you to explain your fears." Mace Windu said. He was watching the girl with renewed interest. He hadn't believed Master Yoda when the other had suggested taking the girl for training but not the boy. Now, meeting her face to face he was even more skeptical of her ability. Perhaps during this interview she'd prove Master Yoda right. But at the moment, Mace only found her irritating. "Why did you avoid taking the turbolift." _And wasting our time?_

"Because Sam-Sam," Buffy began.

"Master Windu." Depa Bilba inserted, her voice still gentle.

"Right, whatever." Buffy shrugged. "When I was back on Tatooine, nine times out of ten everything I touched in Watto's shop, scrap yard, or at home would fizzle out and die. I mean, before I was a slave…" She paused for a moment, her eyes drifting and the Masters felt a wave of emotions, dark and heavy, roll off of her. "It didn't happen, well, Mom wouldn't let me drive, and I could hit the microwave or the toaster without it breaking. But I guess they're's just something about the complex wiring of you guys' tech. I lay my hands on it or step into it and it goes snap, crackle, pop!" She stared at the Jedi Masters. They were looking at her like she was insane. _Maybe I am._ "It means ka-boom." She added, spreading her hands to indicate an explosion.

"I believe…" Mace Windu began, he glanced at Master Yoda with the older Jedi's nod, he continued. "That part we understood."

"Oh," Buffy said. "Good, cause I didn't want to have to explain it all over again to Conehead there."

"Master Ki-Adi-Mundi." Master Bilba said. Her voice was soothing, like a mother correcting her child. It really irritated Buffy.

"I believe she is attempting to go the furthest lengths of impertinence, Depa." Master Ki-Adi-Mundi said, his voice mild as he watched Buffy. So far he was not impressed by what he saw. The Cerean Jedi smiled, stroking the long white whiskers of his mustache. "An amusing attempt to irritate us. Or perhaps," he paused looking Buffy over again. "Distract us from our questions." His smile widened slightly as he tapped the back of his legs. "You still have not explained this fear of technology properly, youngling."

"Having spent the greater part of a year making the wrong things go boom isn't convincing?" Buffy asked. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the strange, alien Jedi. "Being afraid stepping into your turbolift would break it, make it drop down towards bloody, screaming death isn't a big enough fear? I know I never used to make elevators do that, but this is different! Five times I nearly blew up Ani's pod…just by touching it! Six times I shorted out Threepio! After that Ani wouldn't let me into his workshop and Watto stopped letting me touch the expensive stuff. Any stuff really." She exhaled as it all came out in a rush.

"Ani?" Questioned Master Ki-Adi-Mundi.

"The boy," Depa Bilba replied. "Her brother, Anakin Skywalker."

Ignoring them, Buffy kept talking. "After that Ani started calling me tech toxic. He said I made stuff not work, that I'm a jynx. I'm bad luck for droids, machines, ships, and speeders. And he knows what he's talking about! He's right! Nothing like this ever happened to me when I was at home! My presence didn't break stuff! So, you see, it was only luck that the Nabooan Queen got here alive!" She slumped towards the floor waving her hand. "See? I'm pathetic, even more pathetic than I ever was at home. So, go ahead you great, big, mighty Jedi. Laugh at me." She looked up at them with a mournful expression. "Come on Kermy, Conehead, Buddah Buddah, Sammy J, you know you want to."

There was a long moment of silence.

Finally, Depa Bilba glanced at Mace Windu, her former master and Ki-Adi-Mundi, asking. "A question, am I this Buddah Buddah?"

"Gee?" Buffy asked, her voice sullen. "Of the four Jedi in here, who else could it be?"

There was another pause.

"Hmm," Yoda murmured. With a lurch, he hopped off his chair and limped towards her, gait stilted, cane tapping against the duracrete. "An interesting problem, this is. Difficult to overcome, it will be."

Buffy watched as he hobbled closer, his short robes sweeping across the ground, his feet hidden. If she had to guess he barely came up to her knees. She frowned for a moment. He really did look like Kermit the frog. _Except he's got stubs for arms and stubs for legs._ She wasn't really sure what he was planning on doing, except that he was suddenly very close. Then…

WHACK!

Buffy was seeing stars. The top of her skull was throbbing. He'd hit her! The stupid, ugly little midgit! He'd hit her! "Hey!" Buffy sat up, glaring at him. She started to throw herself forward. "What was that for, you stupid, midgit frog?!"

"A problem of the mind," Yoda said. As Buffy lurched, he brought up the top gnarl of his walking stick to meet her and tapped her forehead, this time gently. "Inside here, your fear is, hmm? Clouding your vision, restraining your actions, for hours making you run, taking the quick and easy path, not facing truly what frightens you."

"So, you're saying it's all in my head?" Buffy asked. "That's your brilliant diagnosis?" She felt weird with the end of his staff. There was nothing quick or easy about climbing all those stairs. "I don't think so, I've seen it happen. I've done it!"

"Through the Force," Yoda replied. "Come to life, our fears do."

"Really, Kermy?" Buffy asked. "You think so? Well, I got news for you." She glared down at him. "There was nothing quick or easy about that climb."

"Ah," Yoda sighed. He put down his staff, leaning forward on it as he gazed at her. His large wide eyes never leaving her face as the tips of his ears twitched. Buffy couldn't tell whether he was being serious or if he was greatly amused. "A relative thing, fear is. Have terrified you more, which would? For several hours, running up stairs, or fifteen minutes, riding the turbolift?"

"Search your mind, young Skywalker," Mace Windu said. "And you will know the answer."

Buffy glanced at the black Jedi Master, frowning. "Okay Sammy J," she sighed.

"Master Windu." Depa Bilba cut in.

Not being able to think of anything else, Buffy stuck her tongue out at the older woman. Then, she turned back to Master Windu, er, Samuel L. Jackson. "Just drop the oh, so wise act, you aren't fooling anybody."

But already, she knew that Kermit was right. It would have been much harder to ride the turbolift fearing that it would crash than climbing five hundred flights of stairs. She'd do the stair run again gladly if it meant avoiding the turbolift. Buffy rubbed her temples. So maybe they were right. Maybe, like Obi-wan had said, it was all in her head. _But do they always have to give their lessons in the cryptic?_ And did he have to hit her? _It got the lesson across._ She swallowed another sigh. She still really, really wanted to hit the little midgit though. _No way, they're gonna train your dumb, stubborn ass to be a Jedi now._

"But I guess you might be right about the whole fear thingy. I guess." She wasn't completely sold on the idea though. _For one thing it seems like a catch all that everything comes back to the Force._ Was this great mystical energy the source of all knowledge and wisdom? And if it was why was it acting out her fears? She broke a piece of technology once, so now she broke it all the time? Or did she only break stuff on Tatooine? She wasn't really sure she got it. _Always a chance he could be wrong._

"Face this fear, you must." Yoda said. He was ignoring her grumblings. "Overcome it, you will."

"Fine, fine." Buffy sighed. The way he talked made her head hurt. Hoping they were done with this segment of the conversation, she rubbed the top of her head again and stared at the small Jedi Master. "Now that I've got a wisdom bump to make lumpy my skull, I guess it's time to start the test?"

"If that's what you wish." Mace Windu said. This entire test had already walked off script and now he was taking his cues from Master Yoda. The Order's Grand Master would decide what happened next. Though, Mace Windu was more than half sure that the test had already begun. But whether or not they moved into the traditional modes of testing Force Sensitives? It was unclear. The old Master smiled as he turned away from Buffy and made his way back to his chair. The small group watched as Yoda hopped back into his seat and settled on the cushions.

"What I want," Buffy began. Her voice came out slowly as she surveyed the room again. This all seemed so surreal. She wasn't sure what to make of these Jedi Masters, it would be easy if she could categorize them, but they kept being confusing. She wanted to dislike them, wanted to kick the little green shrimp for hitting her on the head, wanted to make them speak straight, and yet, there was something beneath the cryptic. Something funny. She was sure they that had no idea what to make of her, just as she did them. They were in some kind of stalemate. Or at least it felt that way. "What I want is to know what happened to my brother?"

"We sent him to wait with Qui-Gon until your test was complete." Ki-Adi-Mundi said. "We felt it would be better for both of you if we tested you separately."

"So, if I play along and let you test me, then I can see my brother?"

"Or walk out now, you can." Yoda said. "Keeping you here, no one is."

"As Master Yoda says," Mace Windu agreed. "There would be no point in testing you if you have no interest in being a Jedi."

"A hard life, it is." Yoda added. "And more difficult for those who start late, if no desire you have, no point there is. A waste of time it would be."

Buffy stared at him for a long moment and bit her lip. Did she really want to become a Jedi? Palpatine's offer was looking mighty good about now. But she remembered her conversation with Qui-Gon, when she'd listed all the reasons why she didn't think she should be a Jedi. _He believes in me._ There was no guarantee that even if she took the test she would pass, and even if she passed it was not very likely that they would accept her. _We kinda got off on the wrong foot._ And being respectful really wasn't her style. But the question they were asking and the one she had to answer was: did she want to? _If I don't try, I'll never know._ Buffy wasn't sure if she wanted to spend the rest of her life wondering. _And who knows, maybe I can be more than just a Slayer._ Buffy swallowed.

"No," she said, looking Master Yoda in the eyes. "I want to try it."

"Try not." Yoda told her. "Do or do not. There is no try."

"Okay, Kermit! I get it!" She shouted, leaping to her feet. "Just test me!"

For the first time, Yoda's smile seemed genuine. "Very well," he said. Lifting a small hologram projector from his lap, he held it in his hand. The back was between her and the image. "Tell us what you see."

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**A/N:** Believe it or not this was a really, really, really hard chapter to write. The characters never did what I wanted. They wouldn't listen to me. I don't know if this was what all of you were expecting, because it sure wasn't what I thought when I sat down to write. The Jedi?

Well, what an I say about them? They always surprise me and they have a strangely good sense of humor. I'm sure many of you wanted to see the arrogant Jedi get humiliated or something, I know I've read a lot of fics where Buffy gets on her soapbox and tells the Jedi exactly what she thinks is wrong with them. But that's not my Buffy. Sure, she would do that, but not at this stage of development and honestly I wasn't about to try and make her. (She's stubborn and she hits me...) No, the Masters were in control of this conversation from beginning to end. (Like they always seem to be... damn you YODA!) I don't think she managed to ruffle them, which was irritating because I was actually trying!

And yes, Buffy's tech toxicity is all in her head. What you thought I was gonna give her a special power? Pffft. No. Once she gets better control of her Force abilities it'll go away. She still can't drive though...

I'm sorry, but to me Buffy's just not That Special. I mean she's special, but she's not superwoman, she doesn't have some incredibly deep handle on wisdom and while she usually claims the moral high ground she's wrong more often than she's right. And this is basically S2 Buffy. I'm sure it's hard to watch Buffy lose though and she'll eventually get to be right, to win, just not right now. She's got a long way to go and a lot of growing up to do.

No, I don't prefer the Jedi to Buffy. I don't think they're more right or less arrogant or anything like that. They have their flaws, they're just not glaringly obvious to our sweet heroine. As a writer my focus is always on what's realistic. I don't want this story to be Buffy fixing the SW universe. There are enough of those out there.

Before I wrote this story, I did sit down and compare the two classes, Slayers vs Jedi. And you know what I found? On a combat scale and in a head to head the Jedi win every time. Every single time. They've just got better stats. On the whole they've been fighting longer than Buffy and in addition to that they're wizards with swords that cut through anything. They're also skilled in diplomacy, which means they can control where the conversation goes. For all their arrogance, they're patient.

Don't get me wrong, Buffy will eventually compete with them on an even plane. But she's gonna have to become a Jedi first.

Anyway, that's enough of my ramblings. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Remember to review.


	22. Chapter 22: The Deciding Factor

**Chapter Twenty-One: The Deciding Factor**

Inside the great chamber, the Council sat in deliberation. In the face of an already grave situation, they were now called upon to make a decision that could potentially alter the Jedi tradition, alter the ways candidates had been accepted and trained for the last thousand years. It had not been since the days of Exar Kun and Nomi Sunrider had the Jedi allowed a student older than five years of age to be taken and trained in their arts. But things were different. Even with the Force becoming clouded, all the Jedi Masters could sense that the times were changing. Now it was not one but two strong candidates had been brought before them, each with the potential to change the order itself and make their mark on Jedi history. But a hard decision lay ahead of the council, for both boy and girl were strong enough in the Force that it might be disastrous to allow them to continue on untrained.

Still, tradition was clear on what actions they should take, must take. The necessity of following tradition seemed obvious, and yet doubt still crept within the minds of the four Masters present in the circle. All knew that it was their choice, now and in this moment that might in fact change the course and precedents of the Jedi Order far into the future. Their thoughts for the most part were centered on the young boy, Anakin Skywalker. His potential was unlike anything they had ever sensed before, the belief of Master Qui-Gon's that he was the Chosen One made not dwelling upon him practically impossible. Yet despite it all, the admission of his sister was what they heatedly discussed. Perhaps it was because it was simply easier to debate her future with the Order, easier to discuss her without being caught beneath the looming shadows of prophecy.

"As I have already pointed out," Ki-Adi-Mundi said. His voice was calm as he reclined back against the curve of his seat, the thin cushions softening the pressure on his spine. His fingers were steepled before him, elbows resting patiently on his thighs as he once again glanced around the room. "The results of the test were clear, the girl is capable."

"And as I have already discussed," Mace Windu began, his tone icy. "In this matter tradition is clear, the girl is too old to begin the training." He was staring at Ki-Adi-Mundi, his dark eyes firm as he held steady to his convictions and beliefs that the best decision would be to hold fast to their ways. "The girl is too old. Already she is set in her ways, you must have sensed it." He waited for Ki-Adi-Mundi's slight nod before continuing. "There is a reason why we only take young children, one you, yourself know well Master Mundi. A Jedi must be retrained in their instinctive actions, their way of thinking, their code of morality." He took a deep breath. "To do this it is necessary for their minds to be molded from infancy as they grow into adulthood, it is nearly impossible to train someone older."

"Yet others have managed it." Master Mundi cut in gently. He steepled his fingers before him and stared out at the pattern circling the floor.

Mace frowned at him. He too knew of the instances in Jedi history when others, older and strong in the Force had been called to the Order. They had made for some of the greatest Jedi. But Mace did not see a sleeping Nomi Sunrider and others who had existed in a time long lost, in the era of the Galactic Republic when the Order's criteria was less strict. " As for the boy, Master Yoda? Well, I sense that the potential is still there."

He glanced at Master Yoda. The small green alien was sitting silently, listening to their discussion. The tufts of his ears twitched with each word but his face remained impassive, giving no sign of his thoughts on the subject.

"But for the girl?" Mace Windu shook his head. Memories surfaced, the boiling anger, a barely controlled rage that he'd felt deep within her as she'd sat across from him. He'd felt that sort of darkness once before. _When I faced a Jedi already lost to the shadows in the Force._/i An old friend. The pain of that loss had been great and Mace Windu would not give her the training that would allow for a similar fall. He could not. "It will not be possible."

"But with the Force all things are possible." Depa Bilba murmured from her place in the circle. A wry smile touched her lips as she gazed at her former master. She enjoyed giving him a nudge every now and then. "Is that not what you taught me, Master Windu?"

Mace Windu's frown deepened. "While that is true, I do not feel that it is applicable in this instance."

"Though you make an excellent point, Master Windu, I fear that I must disagree." Ki-Adi-Mundi said, his voice incredibly bland. Slowly, he leaned forward and stared at the other master over the tips of his fingers. "As you know I was taken for training late at the age of four, a decision that was greatly debated at the time. And, as you are well aware, in the past many great Masters have come from those who came to the training late. Master Qui-Gon has already acknowledged this precedent by using the legendary Nomi Sunrider as an example. But if you need a more recent example Master Windu, I shall provide one." Ki-Adi-Mundi smiled. "A'shared Hett."

"You seek to bring your own Padawan into this?" Windu asked, arching an eyebrow. "Very well, we must begin by saying A'shared Hett is an anomaly." Mace Windu replied. "A child born of a fallen Jedi, who was raised, though untraditionally in the Jedi ways before he came to us for training."

"But he was also brought up in those of the Tusken Raiders." Ki-Adi-Mundi said. "With values that are incompatible with the Jedi Code and it was necessary for him to be retrained."

"Yes, however, the foundation was there." Mace Windu replied. He felt like he was on the side of a losing battle against the other Master but he refused to give way. It was his own personal opinion that the girl should not be allowed into the Order. He was sure that it would lead to disastrous consequences. Perhaps even be damaging to them all if the girl were not raised correctly. He saw no reason why they should train another child, one who was more than likely to fall before her training was complete, into a weapon for the Dark Side. "No one denies that you have done an admirable job with his training. Still, this young woman, this Buffy Skywalker is nothing like him. If anything she is more dangerous. I find it difficult to believe that any of you missed all the anger rolling off of her. Even without any probing the taste was palpable."

"Then perhaps you did not probe deeply enough." Ki-Adi-Mundi said. "One should not be deceived by the surface alone, if you had only looked deeper, you would have found something entirely different." He lifted a singular finger and sighed. "It's true there was anger and also fear, but there was loneliness as well."

"I agree with Master Mundi." Depa Bilba said. Mace Windu glanced at his former Padawan in surprise. This was not the response he had expected from her. She had always been one to stand behind tradition. "The girl is angry, irritating, impatient, stubborn, and proud. She is everything we warn our apprentices against, everything that is dangerous and tempting. All the things that lead toward the dark side." Bilba shook her head, dark hair swaying around her ears for a moment as she contemplated the situation. "And yet upon reflection, I have found that these traits are the results, not the cause." She tapped her cheek for a moment. "It is strange to discover one so strong in the Force and stranger still to find that they believe themselves to be completely alone." Then she frowned. "On my world we have a saying, it is when we are closest to Pa'Jak's peak that we risk the greatest fall. The mountain reminds us of our humility. This girl, she is teetering on the edge, she must be brought down gently before she falls." Bilba leaned back in her chair and sighed softly. "And when she does, I fear Buffy Skywalker will be lost forever."

"It is a difficult question." Ki-Adi-Mundi nodded. "And it has been many years since the Jedi Council has been faced with such a choice, one that flies in the face of our traditions. Still, it is our duty as Jedi to help those in need and knowing the risks of her potential, I say we must aid her. There is a chance she may yet be saved from the dark path she walks and as Master Bilba has said, if we do not try then we have already failed her."

"And what if she does fall?" Master Windu asked. His voice was hard, he had lost Padawans to the dark side, some like Depa had recovered, others had not. He would not be witness to a foolhardy action that sent yet another girl to her death. "It will be our fault."

"We are not the only ones in the galaxy with knowledge of the Force." Ki-Adi-Mundi said. "If we do not take it upon ourselves to train her, it is likely that others will or that she shall learn its ways on her own. Both possibilities are more dangerous, if we take it upon ourselves to train her, then at least we will know the mistakes that lead to the fall and how best to correct them."

'If they can be corrected." Windu nearly growled. He could feel his composure slipping and taking a deep breath, he reached inside and centered himself. There was another problem they had not addressed. One he knew the others did not wish to, the issue of the Prophecy Child, Buffy Skywalker's brother Anakin. "And what of the boy?" Mace Windu demanded. "If we take the girl, how can we justify not accepting him as well? He has just as much potential, more if he truly is the Chosen One."

"Ah," Yoda said, speaking for the first time. "A good question, that is." He leaned on his staff, the strong creases on his small face wrinkling into a frown. His thoughts returned to the vision he'd had earlier during his meditations. Buffy Skywalker's road was clear, the two paths that lay before her were unclouded by the power of the Dark Side. He knew that it was her destiny to become a Jedi. But Anakin? His was not so easily seen. His future, even that of the next few days was clouded by dark forces and his path remained hidden. Even a trained mind, honed by centuries of study in the Force could not push away the darkness. Yoda could feel the malevolent strength behind it and it made him wary. "An answer, have yet, we do not."

"But is he the Chosen One?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked. "It is true that the boy has potential, but his fate is unclear. For the girl, I sense two paths set clearly out before her and it is our decisions now that will dictate her future. I fear that if she does not leave this temple a Padawan then the galaxy itself shall be in grave peril."

"While, I believe your fears are not unfounded," Mace Windu argued. "I do not see it to be so black and white. As we know, the future is not simply two paths but a winding flow that blends all together. It may be that if the girl leaves this temple then she will be lost to the dark side, but there is the chance she may not. There is no certainty, even with the guidance of the Force."

"Then we must trust in the choices at hand, my former Master." Depa Bilba said in a soft voice. "It seems the time has come for a decision, one that cannot be made slowly. Still, I say that the time for speculation is over. All we have is the information available. We must make our choice. I call for a vote." She glanced her her master, another wry smile touching her mouth. "Unless, of course, you have any other pertinent observations?"

Mace Windu looked up and frowned at his former Padawan, watching a small smile appear behind one hand. She had him there. He let his gaze swing around the room, Ki-Adi-Mundi and Depa were arguing for the girl's admittance. Master Yoda had said nothing, but Mace suspected that his decision would be the same. Steepling his fingers before him, Mace Windu stared down at the ancient sigil decorating the floor of the Jedi Council Chamber. Blue flowers opened up in a pattern against a yellow background, pointing inwards towards another small blue circle and a larger brown one. The same fern like flowers pointed outwards, no longer blue but white. This pattern, though seemingly meaningless had been placed here to remind future generations of the connected nature of the Force. "When looking on the Skywalkers, I sensed something unusual." He said, after a momentary pause. The other masters were familiar with his ability to see shatterpoints. "Cracks in the Force exist around both children, I fear that they will be pivotal to the liberation of Naboo." He stared around at his counterparts. "Whatever decision we make, it is essential that they both be allowed to continue with Master Qui-Gon on his mission."

"So are we agreed?" Depa Bilba asked. "We will take both Buffy and Anakin Skywalker for training?"

"Hmm," Yoda murmured. "The girl yes, to dangerous is it, now for her, no time have we." He leaned forward, small, wrinkled hands tucked neatly on his lap. "Every second, every moment, her darkness, nearer draws. Yet a powerful ability she hides, one that cannot be allowed to fall. No choice have we, she must be trained."

"And what of the boy?" Mace Windu asked. He was surprised. He knew that Master Yoda had been in favor of training the girl but he had not known that his old Master felt so strongly about it.

"Let Naboo, his testing ground be." Yoda said with a wave of his hand. "If handles himself well he does, consider it we will. With him, time we have, with her, none."

A silence settled on the Jedi Masters, they had their answer and knew that Yoda would not be dissuaded from this course of action. Mace Windu pursed his lips, he knew that the Skywalker girl would not allow herself to be separated from her brother. Not yet. _But she will have to be eventually._/i Such attachments were things that Jedi were forbidden, that was another reason why they did not have children or family, the Order was their family. It was something that all Jedi Padawans had to learn. She would learn it to. Mace Windu would see to it that she did.

**A/N:** Sorry it's so short and it took so long to get updated, real life issues, other story commitments, but mostly real life issues were the kicker. School and stuff. I hope that it gels with everything else I've written because it's been a very long time and going back and reading my work without wanting to completely rewrite it is very difficult for me. But if I always did that then I'd never get anything posted. Things to remember since it's been quite a while:

1) Buffy is sixteen/seventeen, I de-aged her back in the prologue by moving her age back a year, everything still happened in Buffy canon the way it did up to that point, she was just a little younger. This is all part of my master plan but I just wanted to avoid confusion. I do plan on doing the Clone Wars at some point, with a story in between to explain Buffy's training. But that's ten years. I wanted to do a Buffy in her mid twenties whenever I got to the war, not Buffy in her thirties. I know that thirties in Star Wars are like being in your teens and that sixty is the new forty, but I'm a little ageist. So sue me.

2) With this chapter I wanted to delve into the fact that it would be a difficult decision for the Jedi Council to make over whether they would train her at all. Like I had Mace Windu say, one of the things I discovered in my research is that the reason why the Jedi in the Old Republic only take infants and toddlers for training. I really liked the explanation that Mace Windu gave in Shatterpoint about them needing to mold them in how to be a Jedi from a very early age. I also thought this was interesting because many of the most successful Jedi like Nomi Sunrider, Corran Horn, Kyle Katarn, and Luke Skywalker were trained as adults. It's just an interesting dynamic but on that I felt deserved a chapter to itself to be addressed. Accepting a nine year old into the Order was huge in the prequels, so accepting a sixteen/seventeen year old for training would be even bigger jump and one that would require a lot of contemplation. It's something not everyone will agree to and many Jedi Masters will have difficulty accepting.

3) The last major problem I had with this chapter was coming up with an explanation for why they would choose to accept Buffy and not Anakin. They need to go to Naboo and one of the ways to do that is not have Anakin be accepted for training. Anakin needs to be on Naboo so he can blow up the droid transport ship. (We've all seen the movies so that's not technically a spoiler right?) But I wanted Buffy to have Jedi training before she gets to the planet. She might have gotten it anyway but I liked the idea of the Masters saying yes to her and no to Anakin.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one won't be quite as glacial. I promise. A big huge humongous thank you to everyone for waiting so patiently! THANK YOU! :D


	23. Chapter 23: Going Down  Up, Up  Down

**Chapter Twenty-Two: The Trials of Going Down and Up, Up and Down**

While waiting for the council to make their decision, Buffy decided to spite the little green toad by defeating her fear of machines. It involved riding the turbolift up and down the entire height of the Jedi Temple from the ground floor to the Jedi Council chamber over and over and over again. Up and down, up and down. It gave her time to think, to dwell on her frustrations. At least, it did when her legs weren't turning into jelly. But that was all part of the plan. The back up plan anyway. Doing this hadn't been her first choice, but it certainly beat listening to Alby's lecture of the grand five thousand history of the Jedi Temple. Boresville.

Buffy had never really been interested in architecture and the truth was that she had more pressing concerns on her mind. She'd wanted to locate where the Jedi had stashed her brother during her testing, but Arenth had refused to tell her. Probably not the best way to convince her to join this Jedi Order, Buffy reflected. She had set off determined to retrieve him herself. But after what felt like hours of searching, finding Anakin had been a no go. She'd tried combing the place, but asking for him had only gotten her lost. Down long corridors with rooms full of people fencing with lightswords or glaring, sometimes just staring serenly, as she'd barged in on their meditations. Sometimes she'd apologized and the Jedi in question usually lifted their hands and asked her how they might be of service. Of course, though, they'd never heard of Anakin. She'd then declined any offers of assistance. There were only two Jedi that she sort of, kinda trusted and they were MIA. More frustrating, the halls were marked with a weird sort of script that she'd never seen before. Well, she had seen it before, in passing as they were flying in Senator Palpatine's speeder down the sky lanes of Couruscant. She hadn't really thought much of it at the time. The lettering had blended in to the background noise, the sights of the towering skyscrapers, and the hum of way too many engines. The problem was that it didn't look like Huttese, the main language of Tatooine. She was familiar with the script, but aside from a few choice insults and swears, Buffy couldn't speak the language. Still, Buffy had doubted that they'd be speaking the Hutt language on a planet that wasn't ruled by them. But not being able to figure out where she was through landmarks or the markings on the walls had been more than a little frustrating. It surprised her that Arenth hadn't decided to follow her or if he had, he'd stayed out of eyesight and earshot. Buffy hadn't thought that the Jedi would give her free reign to wander their super-not-so-secret base. It was like they believed they had nothing to hide.

After trying to find Anakin, Qui-Gon, and even Obi-wan had only turned her into a spectacle, Buffy had decided that the best way to beat the odds was to prove once and for all that she was not _afraid_ of machines, that her tech toxicity was not some aberration of her mental state intruding on the real world. _That I'm really dangerous to all of droid kind._ So far, it hadn't worked out. The turbolift continued to run smoothly, even after twenty cycles up and down, pausing to let on the occasional Jedi child or Jedi adult or Jedi carrying way to many holopads for it to be healthy to one's back. Buffy was beginning to be able to tell them apart. All the human, or at least Jedi with hair, who had the tiny braids like Obi-wan were Padawans, apprentices who'd been accepted as Jedi. The way a gaggle of tiny children of different colors, shapes, and sizes had followed an older Jedi indicated that there were levels to the Jedi apprenticeship. What those were precisely though, Buffy wasn't sure. Either way, they tended to give her strange looks as they got on and off, something that Buffy found herself relishing. Sometimes they politely asked what floor she was looking for and Buffy enjoyed telling them that she wasn't looking for one. After all, she could only tell what floor they were on by counting the levels and it was rare for her to get all the way from the ground floor to the top floor with no stops in between. She often lost track of where she was, but sitting with her back cradled in the furthest rounded edge of the turbolift, well, it was nice to be away from anyone who knew her. Any questions. Bothering the Jedi. Her stomach still lurched with uncertainty everytime the lift moved, mostly when it went down, her mind beginning to imagine a startled hurtiling of the capsule towards the ground but… no. All that came next was the unpleasant ding of her reaching the floor the lift had been called to. Why had she ever been afraid of this thing?

Buffy sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Now that she thought about it, her fear of technology had come from digging through Watto's scrap yard for the junk he wanted to sell to his customers. More often than not, everything she'd been sent to pull out had exploded in her face and there were only so many mild electrical burns, cuts from scrap metal, lost profits, beatings for carelessness, threats about being sold to Gardulla or Jabba as a dancer, and before long… _Well, I guess I just earned the nickname._ Everyone in the slave barracks had joked about it, her absolute inepitude with anything technologically related. _Sometimes I think the only reason Watto kept me around was because I was good at debt collection._ From everyone except the Gammorreans. Fighting the ugly green piggys was like fighting a bouncey ball, all her hits seemed to bounce right back. Resting her forehead in her hands, she closed her eyes and sighed. She'd really started to believe that the reason why tech always seemed to detonate around her, no matter how much Anakin explained, was somehow because she didn't belong in this universe, because she'd been transported here against her will. _When I… when Angel…_ Buffy swallowed. That somehow it had all been because she didn't belong. _Not because I was bad with technology before, not because of all the times I nearly broke Will's computer. I thought it was because I didn't belong._ And in a perverse way, she'd been proud of it. _After losing most of my powers, I guess I just felt less… vulnerable._ Next to Anakin she'd always looked like a complete waste for anything useful except fighting. _And even that I wasn't so good at. Not when the other side had blaster pistols and stun sticks, pointy teeth, and sometimes six or seven legs plus mandibles. Not to mention the penalty price for killing them. Me slave, them smuggler, me lawbreaker._ She sighed. And when those gadgets and gizmos went all staticy and sparkly in her hands before doing a little shudder dance and dying, well, without her Slayer abilities it really, really hurt. It also took a long time to heal. _And Ani? Well, he's practically a wizard at this stuff. How many times did he cover for me when I broke something important to Watto?_

Buffy loved her brother, but Anakin had always been the special one. Buffy wasn't used to being second best, not really. She'd never been good at schoolwork, but there had always been her destiny as the Slayer, her job that made it so she didn't have time for normal things. It made her important, gave her a purpose, a place, now that was gone. Buffy shook her head, she needed to focus on the now. On the problem at hand and on her own rather embarrassing delusions.

_Anyway, if that tech toxicity thing had really been true, then wouldn't those blaster pistols have stopped working around her? Would the stun sticks? The stun cuffs? The slave chip? A presto, magic no worko?_ All those had always worked just fine. When her mind hadn't been focused on the likely prospect of her screwing up. But if it was some curse, some sort of jynx she had on machinery, wouldn't they have stopped working. It was true that she'd been afraid of her slave chip, afraid of the prospect that Watto might one day decide to send her to far away. _And then it would be all about the explody Buffy brains and the gooey meaty pudding of Buffy insides._ She hadn't wanted to die like that. But the chip had never stopped working. Subconsciously, Buffy's fingers slid up to the back of her neck. Her chip hadn't been placed there, however that was where Obi-wan had pulled it out. _I was always afraid of what it was going to do to me._ But she'd never been _afraid_ that she was going to break it, going to get blamed, going to get punished. _Though the beatings are rarer than I make them out to be._ The honest truth was that as a Toydarian, Watto couldn't hit that hard. Not even with a stun stick. _I was afraid of what he might do to Mother, to Shmi._

_Through the Force, come to life our fears do._

_Stupid little green-midgit-man-Kermit!_ She hadn't wanted him to be right.

But he was right. She was wrong. He was right. It was like her new thing. Being wrong that was, maybe it had always been her thing, but at least when she was the Slayer she'd got to be right most of the time. _Except with Angel._

Buffy looked up, how much longer was this going to take exactly? She'd been sure that they'd come to a decision quickly. That someone would eventually come for her and tell her that: _"Sitting here in this turbolift is a disruption to the peaceful, monkish, lovey nature of the school. You are a distraction! Get out!"_ But that hadn't happened. The Jedi seemed perfectly willing to leave her to herself after she'd assured them that her brain wasn't permanently addled. They were strange, sometimes almost stepford, except the smile never seemed fake or plastic. _Strange, strange, strange…_ She couldn't help wondering what it was that made them all seem so at peace. _What the hell are they putting in the water? Some electric-koolaid or something?_ And, she had that too. She had this Force thingy. This all-knowing magical field or whatever that allowed her to sense things around her, to affect the motion of events. _I helped Ani win that pod race._ From the moment Qui-Gon had opened her to that, her role on the sidelines, where she was passive, it changed and all of a sudden she was active again. She'd never felt so out of control and yet, so in control, touching something that was large and vast, confusing and wild, but still warm. She was a little afraid to try it again.

Buffy lifted up her fingers and stared at them, marveling. She felt different. Changed. Maybe it had always been this way, maybe it was because of Qui-Gon but the Jedi Masters, Kermit, Mr. Clean-Sammy J, Depa Buddah, and Conehead guy, they'd made her realize it. She swallowed. There was a lump in her throat. In that round, circular room with the strange looking floral pattern, she'd stood before them, trying not to flinch. They'd tested her, but not the way she'd expected. There had been flashcards, a holopad, where they'd asked her what she saw. At first, she hadn't seen anything and then… _It came to me, a ship, a cup, a face…_ But she didn't know how many of them she'd gotten right, Kermit's face was too wrinkled to tell and the others were impassive. Had she done well? _What will I do if they make me an offer? An offer I can't refuse…_ Buffy covered her mouth to hide a snort, sometimes it was comforting to remember Earth. But mostly not. _They made it clear I can refuse._ But the question was, did she really want to? Buffy swallowed. Even more than hating to admit that Kermit was right, Buffy hated to admit that she wanted to learn more about this. About the Force, about what she could do. _Maybe then I'll be able to help people again._ She didn't trust them, but Qui-Gon and Obi-wan… they seemed to be interested in good, in helping people. It seemed like that was their mission in life, even if it was too good to be true. _So if I do this, what's the catch?_ Nothing ever came without a price tag and if there was one thing she knew from being the Slayer it was that with great power… Buffy snorted again. It was kind of nice to feel good again, safe again, almost like she was the old Buffy. Buffy looked up at the domed ceiling of the turbolift and sighed. _But in all seriousness, just what am I going to have to give up?_

So deep in thought was Buffy that she didn't hear the whisper of the turbolift door, or even the sound of footsteps approaching. It was only the moment that she felt a long shadow fall over her that she looked up, her eyes finding those of a very tall, elderly man, with a craggy face, a head full of steely gray hair that was shocked with short, white streaks, and a salt and pepper beard.

"Well now," he said with a wry smile. "What have we here?"

Many hours passed as the Couruscanti sun dipped well below the horizon jutting skyscrapers and towering spires. Sensing a strong life approaching, Qui-Gon opened his eyes from his meditations and looked across his quarters at his apprentice. Obi-wan remained in his trance, accepting his Master's control over the situation. The two often meditated together, strengthening their bond with the Force and with each other. It was the best way that Qui-Gon knew to calm the mind. Though he was certain that the Jedi Masters would accept Anakin and Buffy for training, doubts still remained. The Council could be stubborn, though they would not admit it, and bound to the traditions of the Order. It was difficult to train a student who was above the age limit, but it was not impossible. Qui-Gon hoped that they would see the importance of the two children, especially that of Anakin. Gaze shifting, Qui-Gon glanced to his bed. There the boy lay asleep. It had been a long day for him and he had been greatly in need of rest after standing before the Council. Though he'd asked worriedly about his sister, wanting to remain until she entered and emerged from the Council chamber. Qui-Gon had convinced him that the best way to help his sister was to be well rested when they saw each other again. It had not taken him long after that to fall into a deep and peaceful sleep.

In a smooth motion, Qui-Gon stood and walked across the room to the child. He had promised Shmi that he would take care of her children and he had every intention of doing just that. _Even if it means that I may have to break all the rules and train them myself._ Still, deep down, Qui-Gon knew that he could not. He would be forced to make a choice between them. Neither child could be properly trained in the presence of the other, their love and protective instincts would only get in the way of their duties as Jedi, would compromise the safety of those who needed their protection. Qui-Gon understood, perhaps better than some of the other Masters from the follies of his own youth. He too had once fallen in love, had nearly forsaken the Order, and had almost fallen to the Dark Side. Emotions left uncontrolled were dangerous for Jedi and those who were linked to the Force. While Qui-Gon knew they could not be forsaken all together, should not be, for a Jedi's feelings were often their greatest drive and strongest weapon. But the pure simple nature of love often opened the door to more destructive emotions. _Greed, possessiveness, jealousy…_

These were roads that lead younglings and even older, more experienced Jedi down the path to the darker side of the Force. Lead to their fall. Lead them to form external loyalties to individuals that became greater than their loyalty to the Force. _As Master Hoche Trit famously said: "A Jedi is a Jedi first, foremost, and only. For a Jedi to divide himself between the will of the Force and the will of others is to invite disaster."_ Unfortunately, many Masters simply taught their students that love was to be avoided and did not explain why. Qui-Gon himself had followed this path until Obi-wan had traveled a similar path. It was only from sharing his experiences with his student, that the two developed a stronger bond and Obi-wan avoided sharing his mistakes. Though it had forced the young Padawan to consider hard and long over whether or not the life of a Jedi was the one for him.

Gently, Qui-Gon placed his hand on Anakin's straw colored hair. He hoped that it would not be Anakin's destiny to follow a similar path. He knew though, that the danger was there, just as it was very every young apprentice, for every Jedi. The threat of the Dark Side never went away, a Jedi always had to watch their step and measure their actions. A wrong choice could send echoes outward through the Force, affecting the lives of thousands not just one. There were many things that Qui-Gon wanted to teach this young boy, a boy, whom he had been searching for most of his Jedi career, the one who would bring balance to the Force. _But there is also the girl to consider._ Her training was also important.

Qui-Gon knew that he could not simply abandon her, no matter what his feelings for the boy. The way she easily made Force bonds could be dangerous if placed in the wrong hands, a weapon that could easily lure others down the road to the Dark Side, especially with the strength of the connections she created. Her abilities were so very similar to the Jedi of old, to those from the days of Ulic Quel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider, to those of the Sith Wars. In the days when Korriban was a thriving capital, not simply a graveyard filled with the bones of long forgotten evil. Qui-Gon could barely imagine the loyalty that she would inspire once her abilities were trained, once she became a Jedi Knight. He had wondered, given the similarity, if there was a connection between her arrival and the return of the Sith. If perhaps the Force had a message in revealing these two to him. Qui-Gon was sure of it. Given young Buffy's personality, he was almost certain that in her training she would travel the road of the Force Warrior, the Jedi Guardian. Her training would need to quell her aggressive instincts, her tendency to use force as the first resort instead of the last. But she was brave and he knew that, like Anakin, she would make a fine Jedi. Quietly, he brushed Anakin's hair and removed his hand from the sleeping boy's head. Both children were talented, their gifts too strong for the Order to refuse. Left untrained, they would be dangerous. Perhaps, even to the galaxy itself. He was sure of that.

"Was it the right decision, Master?" Obi-wan asked from behind him. "Letting the girl wander freely? Hiding her brother from her?"

Qui-Gon closed his eyes. "Should they be accepted into the Order, they will be separated. Of that, my young apprentice, you are well aware." He turned and hid a sigh. He disliked this course of action but it was one that he knew was necessary.

"I am." Obi-wan said. He only had vague memories of his own family, of a brother he probably would never get to know. "And I am against this course of action, you know that Master."

There was a wry smile touching Qui-Gon's mouth as he gazed at his apprentice. It was nearly time for Obi-wan to take the trials. Qui-Gon knew that there was little more that he would be able to teach him, but he was very fond of his apprentice. He knew that Obi-wan was made for great things. He still had much to learn and his sharp adherence to the rules of the Order had often put him at odds with his Master. Still, Qui-Gon appreciated his counsel, even when he believed that it was wrong. "Yes, you have made your feelings about the Skywalkers clear."

"However Master, even if by some miracle they are accepted by the Council," Obi-Wan continued. He could not imagine either Buffy Skywalker or the young Anakin bowing down to this decision or blindly accepting it. He imagined that they were both rather similar to his Master in that regard. "Wouldn't it not be better to let them spend what little time they do have left together?"

Qui-Gon crossed his arms over his chest. He could feel his student's anxiety. He understood it and knew also that sometimes Jedi training methods could seem cruel and unwarranted. "If times were different, Obi-wan then perhaps it could be so." He said. "I too regret the necessity of this action, but unfortunately we must take what the Force gives us. In a perfect, more forgiving world both the Skywalker children would have been brought to us for training at an early age. Their minds would have been molded by Jedi teachings. Buffy herself would already be a Padawan and Anakin also close to being chosen by a Master. However, this is not the case and because that is so it is necessary that their training begin now." He looked away from Obi-wan and back to the sleeping Anakin, his gaze fond. He kept his voice low so that he wouldn't disturb the boy. There was no need for him to know of this conversation. But his senses told him that the boy was still asleep. "Already their bond with one another is strong but it can still be loosened, and loosened it must be."

Obi-wan nodded. He knew this tenant of Jedi training just as he knew the dangers of attachments. Still, he did not like it. He did not have to. It was not his place to question his Master or the Council. Instead he said, "I understand, Master," and left it at that.

Neither Jedi was surprised by the knock at the door and Obi-wan was merely glad that their conversation had completed at such an advantageous time. Tucking his hands into his robe, he turned and walked towards the door. On the bed, young Anakin stirred, sleepily. Obi-wan heard his Master gently tell the boy that it was time to wake up. Squaring his eyes and shoulders, Obi-wan knew that the arrival of this visitor could only mean one thing. Silently, he opened the door.

In front of him, a Youngling stared up at him with large red eyes. He was a young Devaronian and looked a little nervous. Obi-wan gave him a reasurring smile. The young Padawan also squared his shoulders. "The Masters have sent word that they've reached a decision." The child said. "They request that you and Master Qui-Gon bring the two Skywalker children to the Council Chamber."

"Thank you." Obi-wan replied. The child bowed slightly and then began to turn. "Ah," Obi-wan added. "Youngling," the glanced back at him, once again ready to be of service. "You wouldn't happen to know where the Skywalker girl is?"

"I believe…" The boy said slowly. "That she was taken by Master Dooku to one of the training rooms on the fourth level." He blinked. "I heard she's the crazy one that kept riding the turbolift."

"Riding…" Obi-wan trailed off. "…the turbolift?" That sounded strange.

"Yes," The boy nodded. "She caused quite a stir among the Younglings in the Bear Clan. I think I saw Mistress Jocasta Nu requesting that Master Dooku take care of the problem."

Obi-wan blinked. He wasn't entirely sure what this meant, but he was more than a little concerned over what would happen next. _There will be no problem, Master Dooku is a skilled lightsaber instructor._ Though, Obi-wan knew very little about him other than that. He was a rather famous Master in the Order though. Buffy Skywalker was in good hands. Probably.

**A/N:** I'd say I'm being nice or that I'm super excited to be working on this story again (I am). But really, I think I feel a little guilty for leaving this story so long without any updates. Thank you so much everyone who's reviewed the last few days, such a warm reception makes me even more excited to continue this story.

Note: For those who are unfamiliar with the EU, Dooku doesn't resign from the Jedi Order until after Qui-Gon dies in the EU canon. So at this point he's still part of the Jedi Order and there's no reason for him not to be there. Why Dooku? A) Because Dooku is awesome, B) Because if/when I do Clone Wars it will be better if they've met, C) In my opinon, Buffy would like Dooku and possibly even respect him, where she wouldn't the other Masters. He's very proactive. D) I like their chemistry (not romantic), it's going to make for a fun chapter before she hears the Council's decision.


	24. Chapter 24: With Lightsaber in Hand

**Chapter Twenty-Three: With Lightsaber in Hand**

Buffy followed the Jedi, a tall human looking Master. But who could really tell? Since she'd arrived on the strange planet that was Tatooine, she'd seen weird looking monsters whom she wanted to call demons. They looked like demons, but in fact they were aliens. Some of which were benign and many who were no worse than human. She assumed he was human, but what did that really mean? All she knew about him was that he called himself Dooku and was leading her into what looked like a training room. A rounded room with a domed ceiling with dark walls made of duracreet. There was a flat floor, one that was indented from the rest of the room, like the room it was rounded with knee high walls that would prevent the trainee from running to far in any direction, and what looked like some super fancy training equipment nestled in small hexagonal cuts in the walls along with a few curved benches. There were also some droids.

_What is it with Jedi and circles?_ Buffy wondered. They seemed to have a thing for them. _Circular rooms, hallways, domed ceilings, round turbolifts…_ But maybe all turbolifts were round, cylinder things. But even the decorations they put on their walls, doors, signs, and other stuff Buffy saw had circles. Circles, circles, circles, it was a circular bonanza of circleness. Even their lightswords were tube hilts with tubed light of deadliness. _Oh hey!_ Her mental abuse of the English language was back. She must be feeling better. _Come to think of it, I really haven't felt this good in a long time._ Less afraid.

"Well, are you going to stand there and gape all day?" Asked the Jedi Master from the center of the room. He was staring at her, the tiniest of smiles touching the corners of his mouth. There was an ironic twist to his steely eyebrows. "I thought, perhaps, that you had completed the day's required meditations during your ride in the turbolift."

Meditation, one of the high minded learning things that Giles had always tried to teach her. Something she'd never paid attention to. Considering the situation now though... Buffy pursed her lips. It probably, maybe, might've been a good idea. This seemingly, super advanced, high-tech training room was a galaxy far, far away from the library at good old SunnyDale High. Where Giles hid the weapons away from prying student eyes in the restricted section and his office. Not that the kids at SunnyD had often found themselves in the library, especially not after hours. Now, facing down this Jedi Master, Buffy wished she'd taken her training more seriously.

She tried to keep herself from frowning as she met Dooku's cool grayish blue eyes. There was a calm expression on his old man face and she felt…strange. Sort of like she was being…she wasn't sure. Probed maybe? It was like she was listening a sound that was almost on the edge of hearing or something. She got the feeling that he was examining her with more than just his eyes. Buffy decided that the best thing to do was keep her mouth shut and wait. She was learning to be cautious with Jedi, especially after her encounter with the Council. After all, her head was still aching from Kermit's whack. _Even if it did make me think._ Something Giles probably would have praised hallelujah for. Buffy almost smiled. She hadn't had good thoughts about Giles in a very long time. Too much guilt. But, there really was something about these Jedi that reminded her of him. _In a good way._ Qui-Gon had been when she'd first noticed it, but the others? They were growing on her too. Slowly. Probably like cancer.

"No," Buffy replied. "If I wanted to gape, I'd find something gape-worthy." She swallowed. "Like a new National Lampoon comedy with Chevy Chase or," she added at Dooku's mild expression of confusion, bringing the conversation back down to Coruscant. "A room full of those lightsticks." They certainly didn't have Chevy Chase in this galaxy's equivalent of VHS. _Maybe Chevy Chase light?_ She watched Dooku raise his meticulous eyebrows. "Oh," she paused as it hit her. "We're in one of those right now aren't we?"

"Truly," Dooku smiled. "You are quite sharp."

Buffy felt like ramming her head against the wall, or on second thought, him. This Jedi Master could probably do with a good headbutting. _What is it that makes these Jedi so damn sarcastic?_ Smug and sarcastic, with a love of confusing visitors with twisty corridors and then mocking them later.. Maybe that was also in the Kool-Aid. Buffy didn't know whether she should be offended or fascinated. Probably both. _So when they're not being know it alls, they're being cruelly sarcastic with the snark? Thank god, they're not punny._ Or else she'd probably have to give up. Buffy decided to change the flow of the conversation, one that hopefully lead to safer waters and away from well-aimed zingers. "So, what are we doing here?" She asked instead. "I mean, this looks like a training room and I'm not an apprentice, er, Padawan, er, person yet."

Dooku motioned with one hand towards the wall and in response a cylindrical, silver hilt jumped out. It arced through the air in a smooth elegant gesture to land lightly in his outstretched palm.

_You're not impressing me with a little bit of TK._ Buffy thought. Though at the same time, she seriously doubted that he intended to show off. Maybe he was just showing her what she herself could achieve with proper training. _Can all Jedi throw things around with their minds all willy-nilly like gang members hopped up on PCP?_

"There are many ways to test one's ability in the Force, my young friend," he said. "Methods that are distinct from those used by the Council."

"But why me?" Buffy asked.

"Perhaps, it is because Jocasta Nu requested that I remove a disturbance." He said. His voice held the same flat tone, but Buffy got the feeling that he was laughing. Maybe he was laughing at her. "Or perhaps, it is because I wished to know what was so special about you that Qui-Gon Jinn would request your training, something that has not been done in the Jedi Order for over a thousand years."

"If those are your reasons," Buffy replied. "Then maybe you're barking up the wrong tree." Buffy jabbed her thumb into her chest. "I'm not the one Qui-Gon's really interested in."

"You think too little of yourself." Dooku said. "I trust in the instincts of my former Padawan. He would not have brought you before the Council if he didn't think you were important." He lifted a hand. "Come, the time for questioning is over. Choose a lightsaber so that we may begin."

_Former Padawan?_ That meant this guy had been Qui-Gon's master before Qui-Gon was a master. It gave Buffy a tingly feeling in her spine and she found herself unsure of what to make of this Jedi. "I don't think so," she said. She'd been doing all she could to push the image of the dark man's tattooed visage to the back of her mind. And even though she'd been healed, phantom pain still lingered where he'd burned her. "I rushed into battle once before against one of those, okay? I've got no desire to be running, no, _undulating_," _Ha! Take that PSAT vocabulary prep!_ "Around this galaxy all limbless."

Dooku's smile remained fixed, pleasantly, on his features. "You're sense for danger is finely honed, young one, if for the moment misplaced. This," he said, pressing the button on the hilt. Buffy watched as the green saber sprang to life as a snapping hiss sung through the air. "Is a training lightsaber. While still dangerous in an untrained hand, its capacity for damage is," he struck it down on the side of the training floor. Though it crackled and hissed, it left the floor itself unscathed. "Limited. When struck it will only stun you." He waved his hand about the room. "And since these are the weapons we give to those who have only recently become old enough to begin their lightsaber training, they will give you a only a very small jolt when hit." He emphasized his point by bringing the green blade up in a single smooth motion and pressing it against his palm. "This exercise will be quite safe for you and your limbs."

Buffy nodded, nervous. "That's good, real good. Cause I'd hate to spend the rest of my life as a banana slug." She liked the sound of this test better than the one she'd had upstairs. Combat and especially improvisation had always been her strong points. Sucking in a deep breath and gathering up her courage, she walked across the room. After staring at the rounded hilts and noting that they all seemed to be of the same, standard design. She selected one from its' cubby and turned to face Dooku. Hesitantly, she pressed the red button on the side of the weapon. It was clearly the on switch. Holding it away from her body, she watched the crystal blue weapon ignite, coming to life in a crackle of power. It all felt very awkward. _This is fighting Buffy, you're good at fighting._ "So what now?" She asked, dropping down into the training circle.

Dooku was standing across from her, his green blade parallel to his body, pointed down at a forty-five degree angle. It had to be his ready postion. Buffy held hers perpendicular, outward at a slight incline, the fencing stance she'd used when fighting Angel. It was the only one that felt both familiar and useable.

"Shall we?" He asked, still all politeness.

Despite her worries, Buffy felt the thrill of excitement chase through her nerves, her muscles relaxed, ready, waiting. She had been born to fight, that was her purpose in life. Her duty, her job, who she was. It had been. Maybe it could be again. The weapon felt odd in her hand, to quick to respond to the twitching of her wrist, to the smallest flick of her reflexes. It was almost _too_ responsive and she understood how it could get an untrained user in trouble. _Like me, maybe?_

Resisting the urge to leap forward into battle, Buffy settled on waiting for the Jedi Master to make the first move. Being hasty had only gotten her in trouble before and while a rather large part of her wanted to know how his skills compared to that of Qui-Gon or the hooded man, this was probably the best strategy. At least for now… _But he's got to be somewhere in his sixties, maybe even his seventies!_ Really, how fast could an old man move?

It was Dooku who broke their stalemate. With a quick step forwards, he slashed downwards on her left. It was a slow strike, almost lazy and aimed with keen precision. The same ghost of a smile remained on his lips. Buffy raised her blade in response to block. Green and blue met each other with a crackling hiss. Their blades interlocked in a striking glow, casting shadows across each of their faces. It was Buffy who faltered first, miscalculating the strength of his strike. Feeling him push, she began to push back, only to find herself going forwards as he sidestepped, his blade coming up under her guard to tap her lightly on her side. It stung.

"Interesting." He said.

Buffy bit her cheek in concentration, she was determined not to let it happen again. Disengaging, she slipped back and brought her blade up into a more traditional fencing guard. She couldn't help feeling a little impressed. Having always been one to jump in feet first, she sidestepped outward and launched a few clumsy strikes to test his defenses. He blocked them all without much difficulty.

"Very interesting."

"What?" Buffy asked. "Am I surprising you with the Buffy Summers one two?" That surprised her, she hadn't called herself or even thought of herself as Summers in a long time. Whirling around, she brought her blade back up. These Jedi were really starting to irritate her. She didn't know how they managed to be so fast and it seemed unfair, testing her with a weapon that she was unfamiliar with. _I'll show him that I was just holding back before._ She lunged, throwing up a few more strikes, one high the others low, trying to find a way around his clean crip blocks. Again, the blade felt awkward in her hands and she missed the targets she was aiming for. This time, Dooku easily batted her lightsaber away.

"You favor the direct approach."

She wasn't sure how to respond to that. It seemed like a statement of the obvious, but she couldn't help but wonder if there was some hidden meaning to it. _A message of the cryptic Zen master variety_. But he wasn't sharing and she didn't want to seem even more stupid by asking. She swallowed and they continued.

Sweat had begun beading across her forehead, slipping down, dangerously, towards her eyes. Buffy's side still ached from the blow. Not in a long term damage way, just an ouch-that-really-kind-of-hurt. She understood why these were called "training lightsabers" now. _This is kind of unfair._ He was a Master and she wasn't even an apprentice. She managed to block three of his next strikes, but one got through, claiming the upper left of her arm. Each were light taps, but he seemed to be getting faster. _Well, I did want to know what Jedi were like to fight._ Now, she wasn't sure she still wanted to know. It kind of hurt her Slayer pride.

Slowly, they went back to circling each other. It was like a dance, but one that was different from her last duel with Angel. For one thing, neither she nor Angel had been masters of the sword. She'd fought purely on instinct, relying on the knowledge and instincts of long dead Slayers to carry her through. This was a training exercise and she hadn't had a Slayer dream since she'd come into this strange galaxy. _And I'm fighting someone better than me._ Every so often, Dooku would throw out a few more strikes, testing her, almost teasing her responses. Her grasp of the hilt continued to feel more awkward, more wrong, but Buffy was not sure how to correct it. Several more of his attacks nearly caused her lose her grip. She sidestepped, bringing her blade down and across towards a gap in his defense. There was a quiver in the back of her mind, a tingling sensation like warning bells. He was going to dodge. Instead of continuing her swipe, Buffy took a step backwards, avoiding his next attack by mere centimeters. How had he gotten so close to her shoulder?

She watched his smile momentarily widen. Apparently, she'd done something right. "Excellent. I can see why Qui-Gon is so taken with you," he said. "You learn quickly." With those words, he lifted his blade back to his guard position and switched it off. "But you should beware your tendency towards aggression."

Buffy, who felt that he hadn't seen her aggressive side yet, opened her mouth to argue. Besides that, how was she supposed to learn something when she didn't know what the lesson was? She wasn't sure that she wanted this fight to be over yet, especially since it felt like he was just playing with her. _If I'm going to be defeated, I'd much rather it be soundly._ Not this way, it didn't feel right. She'd always had some measure of control before but now… Now, that seemed to be slipping away from her. _These Jedi, they control the flow of the action around them._ They always seemed in control and yet… _Qui-Gon talked about letting go. Letting this Force thingy guide their actions._ "I don't get it." She said instead. "I've heard this before, but what's so bad about anger?" That emotion more than any other had always carried her through before. She'd used her emotions when she was fighting. They made her stronger, tougher. Anger had kept her alive.

Dooku shook his head. "A Jedi," he said. "Does not use their power to attack, only to defend. A violent response is one that removes all other solutions to the problem at hand. Anger leads the most easily to aggression, to the desire to make the other person hurt and pay. It brings out our darker impulses and when one is connected to the Force, it can have disasterous and unintended consequences."

"I still don't understand." Buffy said softly. And she didn't. The Jedi seemed very complicated and the more she learned about them, the more they made her head spin. _Why can't they chock it up to a single sentence of pop culture philosophy and be done with it?_

"You will in time." Dooku replied gently. "And I'm afraid that our time together has come to end." He motioned towards the door and Buffy glanced up, seeing the increasingly familiar profile of Obi-wan as he stepped into the training room. "You have a second appearance to make before the Council." Dooku winked at her. "I'm sure that neither you nor young Master Kenobi will disappoint them."

"Master Dooku." Obi-wan bowed. "It is an honor to meet you."

"No, the pleasure is mine." Dooku returned with a nod. "I have heard a great many things about you, many impressive things."

"I am here to bring you to the Council." Obi-wan said lightly as he turned to face Buffy. "Master Qui-Gon feared you might lose your way again or," his eyes twinkled and his lips twitched. "That you might devote more of your time to meditations on the nature of the turbolift."

_So, he knows about that._ "I don't think so," she replied sweetly. "Though that's always a chance in the future at the moment I'm rather meditated out."

"I'm sure."

"I'm sure." Buffy countered. "So, Kermy, Sammy J, and Conehead have made their decision about my pending apprentic status?"

"You know that if you are accepted for training, you will have to show them some respect." Obi-wan said.

"I know." Buffy smiled. "But remember, I'm not a Jedi yet."

Obi-wan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "With your permission, Master Dooku?" Dooku's returning smile was all the answer he needed. "Then come with me." He snagged Buffy's arm and towed her out of the room. Obi-wan didn't know what the Council's decision was going to be, but there was one thing he was sure of. Buffy Skywalker was not good for his mental health. He hoped that this would be the last he would see of her for a long time. A very, very long time.

**A/N:** I know it took me a while to get this update out and I apologize. I also wanted to do the Council this chapter to move things along but the transition just didn't quite fit, so next chapter is the Council's decision and we're off to Naboo! Trade Federation ahoy! Anyway, comments are always welcome, wanted, desired, needed, etc. So please leave one. :D Thanks!


	25. Chapter 25: Second Time's the Charm

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Second Time's the Charm**

Outside, the dazzling lights of Coruscant lit up the night sky. The tall towers of duracrete and ferrocrete spearing up into a velvet colored atmosphere. Buffy didn't have time to look outside or admire the view. But even inside the domed circle, she could hear the whizzing hum of speeders as they flew by. She wondered if Anakin could recognize what different makes and models were out there, just by the sound. To her it always sounded like the humming of bees and nothing more. He was the ship lover. But she knew that now was not the time to ask him. The Council Chambers were so far up; so far above the rest of Coruscant that Buffy was sure the tip nearly touched the stratosphere. Out of the corner of her eye, Buffy could see the beauty, almost feel it at the back of her mind. It was disturbing. Even more disturbing to think that all the shining dots that were so far above them were also planets and harboring billions more people. All that life, humans and aliens living together, it blew her mind just trying to think about it. People on Earth, Xander, he would have killed to see this, to stand in front of Jedi Masters in a galaxy far, far away. Buffy didn't feel so lucky. Instead, all she felt was nervousness and sweaty palms.

Taking a few deep breaths, she followed Obi-wan Kenobi into the Jedi Council Chambers. This was her second time facing them down and the second time that she'd been nervous over the prospect of standing before them. However, this time, it was not tiredness or fear of electronics that made her knees shudder and her thighs twitch. No, this time it felt like Principle Snyder had once again dragged her into his office, like she was walking into a fifty-fifty situation that would almost certainly lead to her expulsion. _And I'm not even enrolled yet._ Not that she expected the same knowing look of glee on the faces of the Jedi Masters like she had with Snyder, they were far too stoic and serious for that. _And dare I say sarcastic?_ In truth, they seemed to be about as fond of cutting sarcasm as she was of puns and witty comebacks. This filled Buffy with an odd sense of irony. It was almost enough to make her snort trying to hide a laugh. _At least it means we have something in common. Right?_ She tried to keep her face smooth, but it was hard. _Let's get together, yeah, yeah, yeah…_ Buffy hummed at the back of her mind. _Just you and me combi-ined,_ It'd been a long time since she'd thought of that song. Almost at once, she longed to have her own version of _The Parent Trap_, wherein alter-universe, twin Buffy was walking in to face the overly stern faces of nine Jedi. _With me back home pigging out on junk food and playing anywhere but here with Willow._ That was a nice little dream but probably not one she'd be getting any time soon.

Buffy linked her hands behind her back.

No. No James Dean to massage her feet on a beach, no Freddie Prinz Jr. in Italy to bring her a gelato. She sucked in a breath as quietly as possible. It was hard to pretend that she wasn't nervous. The chamber was silent, tense, and she watched eleven pairs of eyes turn as she and Obi-wan entered the room. It didn't take a quick pan and scan to realize that Qui-Gon and Anakin were already there, standing in the center of circled and seated Jedi Masters. Their stilled, formidable expressions on the faces told her that they'd been waiting for a while. Yet, Qui-Gon looking rather placid, his hands tucked within his robes. If he was nervous or concerned it didn't show on his face. Instead, he looked confident, like he was sure that things were going to go his way. _Probably something to do with the will of the Force or whatever._ Buffy swallowed, looking out at her true obstacle: the Jedi Masters. They were watching her, listening as her footsteps rang out across the ferrocrete floor. _But beneath those stern faces does the Buffy detector not detect a hint of disappointment?_ No. It didn't. Instead, there was an almost twinkle in little green Kermit's eyes. _Master Yoda._ She self-corrected. _I agreed that I want to be a Jedi, I might not be a Jedi yet but…_ She had to be honest with herself, she was more than a little intrigued about this Force thing, about the power that was dormant inside her. _Or not so dormant._ Buffy thought as she remembered Qui-Gon's guidance during the pod race. _I wish I had pockets and less of a motor mouth._ It was probably going to get her in trouble again.

"Late you are again, young Skywalker." Master Yoda said as Buffy and Obi-wan walked into the circle. Buffy almost detected a smile on the small Jedi's face. But who could really tell from all those wrinkles? "I take it, a habit with you this is?"

"Eternally tardy, that's me." Buffy replied as she stepped up beside Anakin and took her place in front of Qui-Gon. Her palms were growing even more sweaty as she felt their stares narrowing in on her and Anakin. She fixed her eyes forward, trying to hide any worry or discomfort. "It's a thing. Kinda."

"Hmm," was all Master Yoda said in response. Buffy had sort of expected more, maybe some witty repartee with messed up grammatical structures. But no, nothing. It was like he'd expected this reaction from her. He probably already had.

_Would it kill him to give a chiding rebuke?_ Buffy wondered. She was surprised by how much she'd wanted some kind of response. "Really?" She asked. "That's it? Nothing else? Just a 'hmm'? Like an old man version of a grumpy Mr. Rogers? I mean, I was kinda expecting some sort of chewing out over my lacking the leap to attention when ready response or you know, getting early to bed and early to rise." She paused, her voice slowing as the patient eyes of the Jedi all centered on her. Even Anakin was looking at her funny. "Makes a young girl healthy…wealthy, and keeps people from…um…dying?"

"Neither you're tendency towards tardiness nor your lack of respect is the subject of this meeting." Mace Windu said. His fingers steepled beneath his lips as he stared down his nose at her. His disapproval was palpable and Buffy swallowed. "Though I'm sure that given enough time the subject will eventually come up."

_Well, excuse me for being me…_ Buffy thought, biting her lip. _Wait, what does he mean by 'will eventually come up'._

Ki-Adi-Mundi's eyes slanted towards Master Windu and he sighed. "What Master Windu means, young one; is that we have already acknowledged that you accept this particular character flaw and know that it is one you will address on your own time." He turned to Master Yoda with a deferential nod. "For now, we must focus our minds on the subject at hand, the why of the matter, and the reason you are here."

"Oh." Buffy managed.

She felt that in one moment Master Conehead had both complimented her and insulted her. She felt unbalanced. Usually, in a normal world, the whole compliment and insult thing went one way or another. Buffy swallowed again, her mouth dry. Somehow, what frustrated her most about the Jedi was that she couldn't goad them, nudge them, trick them, or force them to go with her flow. Again, it wasn't like dealing with Giles, she could usually at least tease him. It was like dealing with Snyder, except that the Jedi seemed more flexible. _More focused on the esoteric and less of the out to make everyone's life miserable._ And since it was her and Ani's future on the line, she supposed that made sense. In it's own weird way. Buffy wasn't used to someone else deciding her destiny, but at the same time she didn't see any way out of it. These Jedi would either decide to take her and Anakin or they wouldn't. Her fingers tightened behind her back and she felt all eyes return to Master Yoda.

But it was Master Plo Koon, one of the Jedi who was of a race unfamiliar to Buffy and sitting next to Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, who spoke. "It must be agreed," his voice came out in a gentle gurgle from between the plates of metal covering his squid-like mouth. Large fleshy tendrils curled around each side of his face like oddly shaped elephant ears. His skin was a soft tan color, pinched and bunched around the skull like brain tissue. The eyes were hidden behind what appeared to be some sort of goggles and compounded together like an insect's. "That the Force is strong with them."

"They are to be trained then?" Qui-Gon asked. His voice was clear and crisp as it carried across the room, Buffy felt her own back straighten at the confidence with in it. He sounded so sure of the Council's decision, of their potential. Even if it was only really for Anakin, Buffy was glad to have someone believe in her.

"The girl, yes." Master Windu said; sounding like it pained him to say it. "But not the boy."

Buffy started. "What?" The words escaped her mouth before she could stop them. She glanced back at Qui-Gon and then down at Anakin. _Why me? Why not Anakin?_ A part of her, a very large part had been sure that they'd take Anakin, not her. _I expected them to say I'm too old or something._ Even though they'd taken the opportunity to test her. _This is confusing, way more confusing than that one time in computer class when Miss Calendar and a goldfish and…_ The thought trailed off and she swallowed again. Seriously, her mouth just could not stay wet.

"No?" Qui-Gon's hands swept out from within his sleeves, coming to his waist in one smooth motion. There was no anger there, no frustration, just surprise. This was clearly not the answer he'd been expecting either.

Mace Windu shook his head. "He is too old."

"But why me?" Buffy asked, stepping forward. Qui-Gon might not be feeling angry, but she was. It didn't make any sense! _The answer for why they won't take Ani is that he's too old, but they'll take me? But I'm older than Anakin!_ "Why take me? I'm sixteen! That put me out of the acceptable age range to ride the ride! Right?"

Mace Windu glanced at her. His eyes still said that he was against the idea. "Yours are extenuating circumstances. Ones that the Council cannot overlook."

"Right," Buffy snapped. This was why she found the Council annoying, it wasn't like dealing with a whole room full of Giles-es it was like dealing with a whole room full of…something worse that definitely could only be caught was wearing tweed. _And just when I think I've figured them out, they throw me another curve ball._ Talk about unfair. "And I don't suppose you guys have got a little more info to go with that side cryptic?"

"Buffy." Qui-Gon's hand was on her shoulder, the warning clear in his voice. Buffy tried to force herself to relax, but it was hard. "I assume you're speaking of her gift at creating Force bonds?"

"A dangerous ability," Yoda said. He lifted a small finger and pointed sharply at Buffy. It was not accusatory but a warning. Buffy felt a cold pit settle in her stomach, it was icy. There was something in Yoda's words that scared her. But she couldn't place what. "It could become. Troubling for the future, if left untrained."

"I don't get it." Buffy said in a small voice as she looked up at Qui-Gon Jinn. "What does he mean?"

"Within you," Ki-Adi-Mundi said. "You posses the ability to make strong connections with others through the Force. There is no evil in this gift, young one, and nothing for you to fear. Force bonds themselves are a natural occurrence, one that often happens between Master and Apprentice or two people who are both Force sensitive. It develops when one truly understands another and developed through time and understanding."

"But why is it—"

"Because," Mace Windu cut in. "You form connections with strangers as easily as you do friends. You form connections with those who cannot sense the Force at all. You make such bonds freely and that is dangerous. Both to you and those whom you are connected to."

Buffy felt her heart tighten in her chest. It felt like they were talking about something dangerous, that she was doing something wrong and unnatural. She could feel her shoulders tightening. She wasn't sure how to fight. Not sure what witty, snappy comeback would work. The Jedi made her feel unbalanced, like she was standing on a plywood board over a basketball, sliding from side to side, always about to fall.

"No matter how Master Windu warns against it, young Skywalker." Master Bilba said, her voice echoing out from behind them. "This is not something unnatural." Buffy glanced back at her and she was surprised to find a gentle smile on the Jedi's face. It was warm and encouraging. "It is a gift that is rare, even among those who serve the Force. A mark of a natural leader."

Ki-Adi-Mundi sighed. "And as with all things, there are dangers that come with it. There was a Jedi once, like you Buffy Skywalker, who also had this gift. She is recorded in the Jedi Archives only as the Exile. For as her name suggests, at the end of the Mandalorian Wars she was exiled from the Jedi Order."

"Buffy," Qui-Gon said gently. "The Exile was strong in the Force and her will resonated, echoed in those she was bonded with. And when she fought in the Mandalorian Wars, thousands of years ago, she exerted great influence over her comrades in everything she did."

"But Force bonds can be dangerous." Ki-Adi-Mundi continued. "A bond between two living beings is not one that is easily broken. Break such a thing would be like turning away from the Force itself, even as your feelings change, even if your will echoes through those you are bound to. Once created, a Force bond cannot be undone. Not even in death. It will continue to exist inside of you. Empty. A wound." Ki-Adi-Mundi lifted his finger. "I do not intend to scare you, young Skywalker. That is not my wish. But you must understand, when the Exile returned from Malachor V, after witnessing the destruction of all the Jedi there, all those soldiers she had served with, bonded with, she herself became empty. A wound in the Force, capable of doing nothing but consume."

Buffy sucked in her breath. They were serious, deadly serious. _This is way, way worse than being a Slayer._

"This is why you must be trained." Ki-Adi-Mundi continued. "Why you must learn to guard your feelings and understand the connections you make. If you were left to wander, the simple nature of your existence could do irrevocable harm to the galaxy."

"And should you fall to the dark side," Mace Windu added. "Depending on the nature of your strength of will, you may take all those who have been bonded with you. Even those who have been fully trained in the Force." His eyes swept over Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-wan Kenobi.

Buffy felt herself swallow again, nervously. She got what they were suggesting. This was more than just about her. Learning about the Force, learning control, it was about Anakin too. _And Qui-Gon, and even Obi-wan._ Even if he didn't seem to like her much. But this didn't seem to be about whether someone liked her or not. She was doing something unconsciously, something that could harm people she cared about. _I might not want to do this, but I have to._

Ki-Adi-Mundi smiled reassuringly "But the choice to join us, Buffy Skywalker is up to you. The Jedi take no one by force, we value the right of all sentient beings to choose their own path."

That surprised Buffy, she was expecting them to point out that she had no choice, just like her Watchers had. _Being unable to escape my destiny._ But she didn't have a destiny. Not here, not in front of these Jedi or in this galaxy. "But what about Anakin?" She asked, still not quite convinced. "I thought he was your Chosen One or whatever?"

Qui-Gon's hand tightened on Buffy's shoulder and she swallowed, realizing that she shouldn't push it too far with the Council. They were being kind, she got that, they were explaining to her when they didn't have to. But she was still confused. _If Anakin is the Chosen One then why don't they want him?_ To her it sounded the same as if she was hearing Watchers rejecting the Slayer, the one girl in all the world who was capable of fighting the demons, the monsters, and the vampires. It was confusing and senseless. _But I'm beginning to get that there are many things about the Jedi that I don't understand._ She swallowed again. _And there might be a thing that they understand better than me. This wasn't_ earth and Anakin wasn't a Slayer. Him being the Chosen One could mean something completely different.

Yoda gazed at Buffy for a long moment, then he smiled sadly. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back and let the Force flow through him. "Clouded, this boy's future is." He replied.

Buffy could practically feel the disappointment settling on Qui-Gon as he let go of her shoulder. The sense of defeat. Somewhere in her stomach, she could feel disappointment settling in. A part of her, a very large part, she realized, wanted Qui-Gon to be her Master. She trusted him. She blinked, surprised by the tears and the jealousy. It left a bitter taste in her mouth. _I shouldn't be jealous of Ani. I knew he was the one that Qui-Gon was interested in training._ But then, she was not the future of the Jedi Order.

"I will train him then." Qui-Gon said as he stepped forward, placing both hands on Anakin's shoulders. He glanced around the room. "I take Anakin as my Padawan Learner."

Buffy had sensed it coming, but she was surprised to see the sudden glance that Obi-wan gave Qui-Gon. Her stomach tightened slightly and her spirits rose. She wasn't alone with the sudden feelings of hurt and abandonment. It was a perverse sense of pleasure but Buffy would take comfort where she could. She brought her arms forward and crossed them across her chest, putting a little more weight on her back leg. The perfect image of the standard rebellious teenage girl. She glanced around the room at the assortment of gathered masters. _If Qui-Gon isn't going to train me then who will?_ She sure didn't want it to be Baldy or Kermit, though Master Conehead didn't seem so bad. _But I'm pretty sure that he doesn't want to train me._

"An apprentice you already have, Qui-Gon." Yoda snapped. "Impossible to take on a second."

"The Code forbids it." Mace Windu added.

"Obi-wan is ready." Qui-Gon replied, glancing at his apprentice. He was proud of Obi-wan, his student had learned much and they'd had many journeys together. But he also knew that the time had come for Obi-wan to stand on his own as a Jedi Knight, to go out and use what he'd learned in the galaxy.

"I am ready to face the trials." Obi-wan said, stepping forwards.

This surprised Buffy, she'd expected Obi-wan to disagree with Qui-Gon. She thought she'd seen it in his eyes. _Maybe I'll ask him later._ Though the thought didn't sound like an appealing one. _But teasing Obi-wan, it could be a fun thing._ Not like teasing Xander, who teased back, or the boys at SunnyD, who, well, couldn't keep up. She expected the conversation would amount too much sly sarcasm and punny one-liners.

The Jedi Masters glanced at one another. Silently conferring in glances and nods, they didn't even exchange words under their collective breath. Buffy almost found herself frowning. She half expected them to dismiss the idea as rash and move on. But once again, they surprised her.

"You are truly committed?" Master Windu asked. His chocolate gaze rose and centered on Obi-wan, piercing the other's chilly blue eyes. "Truly prepared to face the next step in your training?"

"I am." Obi-wan replied, his voice firm. If any part of him was not confident, he didn't show it.

"And you, Master Qui-Gon?" Mace Windu asked. "Are you certain?"

A sigh of relief almost escaped from Qui-Gon. "He is headstrong." He said. "And he has much to learn of the Living Force, but he is capable."

"Then let this next mission to Naboo be the first of your trials, Obi-wan." Yoda said. "Though accompany you Qui-Gon will, on other charges, his attention must be."

"Your goal will be to draw out the Queen's attacker." Ki-Adi-Mundi added.

"But now is not the time debate is over." Mace Windu said, before Buffy could find a way to break in again. "The Senate is voting for a new Supreme Chancellor and Queen Amidala is returning home. This could put pressure on the Federation and widen the confrontation." He glanced at Buffy. "It is apparent that young Buffy Skywalker's training cannot be put on hold and that is why we will allow her and the boy to go with you."

"And go with you they must." Ki-Adi-Mundi murmured. "I'm sure that Master Windu senses as I do, that these two are key to a peaceful resolution to the conflict on Naboo." He glanced at Master Windu, inclining his head. "Is that not so?"

Buffy watched the corners of Mace Windu's eyes tighten; it was almost imperceptible. She didn't think he was angry, just…annoyed? Maybe? She wasn't sure, his face was so placid that she couldn't see any other indicators that would lead her to a more solid conclusion. _It's like watching Jeopardy without a board, letters, or the ability to request a vowel._

"I will not countermand the will of the Force."

"Qui-Gon." Yoda said and the other master lifted his head. "For now, allow you to train, Buffy Skywalker we will. Anakin Skywalker's fate will be decided later." Buffy blinked. She got the feeling that the discussion was over as the small Jedi lifted a hand and said. "May the Force be with you."

Buffy opened her mouth, but tug on her forearm from Anakin and the hand of Qui-Gon on the back of her neck forcing her head downwards in a bow to the Council. It was a bit of a shock and so rushed. _They accepted me for training. Me. Buffy Summers. Buffy Skywalker. They accepted me._ It wasn't like a dream come true, but instead a strange odd rush that sent butterflies fluttering through her stomach. _They want Qui-Gon to train me. At least for now._ She wondered if she'd get reassigned when they got back. Buffy found herself following after Qui-Gon, Anakin, and Obi-wan as they backed out of the room. She herself was also backing up. These Masters were her masters now, she'd been accepted into the Jedi Order. _Me a Jedi? It sounds so weird and so wrong!_ Especially not when hadn't taken Anakin. She wanted to give some outburst, some angry sentiment about how she wouldn't allow herself to be taken for training if Anakin wasn't included. Something like that. That's what the old her, the girl from SunnyDale, California would say. But Buffy didn't. Back in California she'd been needed, she'd had pull. Here she didn't, she had nothing, even her ability to create Force bonds… They wanted to help her get in control, reassert herself, keep her from hurting other people. But here that was all superficial. She had no say in Anakin's fate. _Joining the Jedi is my choice._ _They don't need me._ She had nothing to bargain with.

Buffy watched the great round doors to the Council Chambers close and sighed. For the first time in a long time, she really hated not being a Slayer anymore.

But the Jedi Council didn't need a Slayer either, did they?

Outside, darkness covered the sky from horizon to horizon. The bright lights of the city below blotting out even the far away stars and the lights of the closest planets. The sky was dark, seemingly empty even though the galaxy was teeming with life. The great spires carved their way up into the sky, the speeders hummed as they whizzed by, and everything on the planet from it's darkest underbelly to it's most glamorous tip was at peace, unaware of the great war of regret that was raging inside of Buffy Summers. Hopelessness, despair, and the emotion she was most ashamed of. Optimism. For her future.

**A/N:** Yes! This chapter was very hard to write, so I hope you all enjoy it. I do have a hard time with the Jedi Masters, mostly because sounding wise is hard. I get a lot of help from Wookiepedia when it comes to the Force and Force abilities, and the idea for the Force bonds and the Exile come from a video game called _Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords_ . The series is definitely a must for any Star Wars fan.

Again, I hope you've enjoyed. Please leave reviews, lots of reviews, because they make me happy! :P


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